And the Nominees Are:
The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement – Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin
God Is the Bigger Elvis – Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson
Incident in New Baghdad – James Spione
Saving Face – Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom – Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen
An octogenarian recalls the Civil Rights Movement. Turning back on The King for The Lord. One of the Iraq War’s most controversial events. Reconstructive surgery on survivors of acid violence. A study of nature against the backdrop of Japan’s recent tsunami. Prior to the shortlisting announcement, I had never even heard of these films, and I’m one of the film geeks in this country.
But that’s why this category is, in its own way, just as vital as the “major” ones. If the Oscars never existed, George Clooney would still be a major movie star, The Help would still have made over $200 million at the box office, and Martin Scorsese would still be directing movies. But the passionate creators of these short films hold out the hope that they’re seen by more than a tiny handful of people, if any at all, and no validation is more a boon to their film’s exposure than an Academy Award nomination. So while I have not yet seen any of the nominees, I congratulate them and hope that this opens doors for them. Read more on Oscar Circuit: Best Documentary – Short Subject…
Tags: Best Documentary Short Subject, God Is The Bigger Elvis, Incident In New Baghdad, Oscar Circuit, Saving Face, The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom
