While it may be fairly easy to catch a number of the Academy Award-nominated films that were announced this morning thanks to them either still being in theaters or available on streaming services. But if you were looking to see some of the nominated documentary short films – either out of curiosity or just to get a leg up on your office Oscars pool – you will find that they are a bit harder to track down on their own. But a majority of them are out there to be watched and here is where those ones can be found –
The ABCs of Book Banning
Inspired by a woman named Grace Linn, a 100-years-old arguing to the Martin County School Board against their plans to ban certain books in the school district, director Sheila Nevins’ documentary juxtaposes Linn’s protestations with some school-aged children wondering why some adults want to forbid them from reading certain books. As Linn talks about her husband who fought fascists in World War Two and elementary students ask why they can’t read books that would speak to their own life experiences, Nevins creates a straightforward and powerful argument against what is being attempted in numerous communities across the country.
The ABCs Of Book Banning can be found on Paramount+.
The Barber of Little Rock
One man may not be able to change the world, but he can change individual people’s worlds. That’s the underlying message of The Barber Of Little Rock, an inspiring study of Arlo Washington, the founder of the People Trust, a nonprofit organization dedicated to extending loans to people in communities that are underserved by the big banks.
Island In Between
Kinmen, Taiwan is a small island in the Xiamen Bay, and as the closest piece of territory claimed by Taiwan to the larger People’s Republic of China, sits in a precarious position. And while the question of what country does this island and its people belong to hangs over the heads of its residents, director S. Leo Chiang, born in the United States of parents who came from Kinmen, finds himself asking a similar question as he visits the island for the first time.
The Last Repair Shop
Directors Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers follow up their Oscar-nominated A Concerto Is A Conversation with another look at the power of music and how it can affect people’s lives. This time, the pair juxtapose an instrument repair shop in Los Angeles and young musicians just discovering the joy of playing music, two ends of a lifetime of crafting music.
Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó
Director Sean Wang’s two adorable grandmothers are the subject of this short that serves in part of a meditation on getting older and a reminder that age is only a number.
Update 1/26/24: Disney has announced it will premier Nǎi Nai And Wài Pór on both Disney+ and Hulu streaming services on February 9.
