The 20th annual Oscar-Nominated Short Films are now available in theaters. This is the only opportunity for audiences to watch all of the short film nominees in theaters before the 97th Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, March 2, 2024. To learn more about the participating theaters and how to purchase tickets which are now available, please visit www.shorts.tv/theoscarshorts. Each nominee is released in one of three distinct feature-length compilations according to their category of nomination: Live Action, Animation, or Documentary.
This year’s nominees explore concepts of justice, perseverance, and fame. From a children’s performance at the beginning of life to reflections on the choices made that forever change our lives, this group of films will definitely take you through a range of emotions and keep you considering their impact.
Buy Parkland Speaks: Survivors from Marjory Stoneman Douglas Share Their StoriesAnd the nominees are:
Death by Numbers (director Kim A. Snyder; USA; 33 min)
This film was created from the mind, heart, and journals of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivor Sam Fuentes. It is an intimate look at her journey of unwanted resilience and bravery as she readies herself for the sentencing trial of her assailant who not only forever changed her life and that of so many others, but also but took the lives of 17.
I Am Ready Warden (director Smriti Mundhra; USA; 37 mins)
Justice is a broad concept that tends to be narrowly defined by people. After the brutal murder of Pablo Castro in 2004, John Henry Ramirez went on the run until finally being captured in 2008. Castro’s son, Aaron, faced Ramirez in court and had made up his mind about what justice for his father looked like. However, this film explores how our concepts of justice and injustice shift and change in the wake of finality.
Incident (director Bill Morrison; USA; 30 mins)
In 2018, Harith Augustus was fatally shot five times by Chicago police while walking down the street after getting off of work. While he did indeed have a gun, he was legally licensed to carry his weapon. Through split-screen montages of the body-cam and closed-circuit footage from that day, we get a glimpse into how our ideas of justice get shaped by both what we see and what we don’t.
Instruments of a Beating Heart (director Ema Ryan Yamazaki; Japan; 23 min)
Twenty-one days away from becoming second graders, a class of first graders are tasked with a musical performance to welcome the new first graders. But this film is more than a story of rehearsal and performance. This is a story about facing our fears and overcoming our own self-doubt.
The Only Girl in the Orchestra (director Molly O’Brien; USA; 35 min)
In 1966, Orin O’Brien became the first woman to play in the New York Philharmonic. And while the misogynist media of her early days focused more on her looks than her talent, O’Brien stayed the course and became one of the greatest double-bass players of multiple generations. This film, directed by her niece, puts O’Brien in the spotlight, a place she never wanted to be after being raised by two movie-star parents. However, her story is one that needs to be told.
All five of these short subject documentaries tell powerful stores and deserve to be nominated. However only one can take home that golden statuette. For me, I Am Ready, Warden tells a very complicated and complex story in the time given and I think will take home the win. Though it was a difficult choice for me with both Death by Numbers and Incident striking me in very powerful ways as well. But regardless of who wins, all of these short subject films are worth a watch.
