This is your annual chance to predict the winners (and have the edge in your Oscar pool)! A perennial hit with audiences around the country and the world, don’t miss this year’s selection of shorts. The Academy Awards take place Sunday, March 10.
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS (Running Time: 141 minutes)
Rating equivalent of PG/PG-13 for some adult themes.
Island In Between – S. Leo Chiang and Jean Tsien, 20 min., Taiwan (in English and Mandarin with English subtitles)
From Taiwan’s frontline amid rising tensions with China, filmmaker S. Leo Chiang weaves lyrical glimpses of local life with his own struggle negotiating ambivalent bonds to Taiwan, China, and the US. Island In Between explores the uneasy peace in Taiwan, and contemplates its uncertain future.
Nǎi Nai and Wà i Pó– Sean Wang and Sam Davis, 17 min., USA (in Mandarin with English subtitles)
Nǎi Nai is my grandma. Wà i Pó is also my grandma. Together, they are a grandma super team that dances, stretches, and farts their sorrows away.
The ABC’s of Book Banning – Sheila Nevins and Trish Adlesic, 27 min., USA (in English)
Over 2000 books have been removed from school districts in the U.S. The ABC’s of Book Banning follows the human toll the future will pay for depriving children of their right to read and learn about a complex world. Interviews with children and authors shed light on this ongoing dangerous precedent.
The Last Repair Shop – Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers, 39 min., USA (in English)
Tells the story of four unassuming heroes who ensure no student is deprived of the joy of music. It is also a reminder of how music can be the best medicine, stress reliever and even an escape from poverty.
The Barber of Little Rock – John Hoffman and Christine Turner, 35 min., USA (in English)
The Barber of Little Rock explores America’s widening racial wealth gap through the story of Arlo Washington, a local barber whose visionary approach to a just economy can be found in the mission of People Trust, the nonprofit community bank he founded.
