Documentary Shorts - 1 nomination each

This is probably the first year in a long time when I can truly say there wasn't a bad documentary short in the bunch.  Heartbreaking in most cases, to be sure.  You will absolutely cry.  With the exception of one film, these films are important, but not necessarily enjoyable.

 

A Love Song For Latasha

Through the lens of her best friend and her sister, this film recounts the senseless murder of Latasha Harlins who was murdered by a convenience store owner who suspected that Latasha was stealing a bottle of orange juice which cost less than $2.  Latasha sounds like a remarkable young woman, straight A student, and all around good kid.  Ironically, people in the neighborhood expected something like this to happen because the owner of the store had a long history of pulling out her gun when teenagers were in the store.  The owner never served a day in prison.

Watch the trailer here.

Watch the short film on Netflix.

Hunger Ward

This film demonstrates how war affects children disproportionately than it does adults.  Children in Yemen are literally starving to death (the child in this poster is 6 years old and weighs 15 pounds).  Hunger wards across Yemen are doing their best to triage the situation, but all of the good intentions in the world don't save kids who never eat.

Watch the trailer here.

Watch the short film on Paramount+.

Do Not Split

This film recounts the violent protests in Hong Kong by pro-democracy citizens.  They are deeply concerned about losing their freedoms, and while Hong Kong has a strong history of peaceful protest, they grow more and more violent as they lose their hold on democracy.  It's interesting to look at this film through the lens of a United States citizen, asking if there are some things too important to not fight for them.

Watch the trailer here.

Watch the film here.

A Concerto is a Conversation

This movie was truly marvelous.  Musical composer Kris Bowers marks the transition of a grandfather who grew up in Jim Crow Florida to a wildly successful career in music.  The conversation between grandfather and grandson is heart warming and happens just prior to Bowers' premiere of his concerto at Disney Hall.  Bowers is also known for his musical compositions for movies like Green Book and When They See Us.  Given that generally the uplifting one in the bunch usually wins, I think this short film has a strong chance of grabbing the prize.

Watch the trailer here.

Watch the film here.

Colette is a 90 year old alumnae of the French resistance during World War 2.  Her brother was captured and taken to a concentration camp, and so she and companion Lucie (a graduate student studying Holocaust history writing a piece on Colette's brother's experience) go together to visit the camp where he died.  Colette must face the ghosts and the pain that she walled off in her brain to honor her brother's memory.

Watch the film here.

In summary, I hope you do take the time to watch these marvelous films.