2017 Oscar Nominated Short Films: Documentary

Pur și simplu divin

In 1939 a young Romanian woman met a soldier. Love blossomed, but the man was sent to the front. They continued to write passionate letters to each another, but when she had to move they lost contact. She was never able to forget him. Will they ever meet again?

Dearly Departed

Hollywood is a hot spot for celebrities, and tour guide Scott Michaels (E!'s "20 Most Horrifying Hollywood Murders," FindADeath.com) knows their, well, haunts. DEARLY DEPARTED is an all-access tour of the "backlots" of L.A. - locations where the most infamous murders, suicides and bizarre crimes involving A-listers have taken place. The Viper Room, the site where "The Black Dahlia" was discovered, and dozens more legendary spots are explored in this funny and equally shocking ride into L.A.'s seedy underground.

Parmi les héros

Wali, an ex-sniper, leaves Canada to fight the Islamic state. He meets two Americans: Rebaz and Zyrian. One is a veteran of the war in Iraq. The other is a homosexual idealist. They meet the Kurds, a welcoming people. Together, they will confront the fanatical Islamic terrorists. Beside Heroes, an uncensored documentary that tells the tale of three volunteer fighters who realized that to change the world, you have to act.

حلب مقامات المسرة

In this documentary film, Malas explores the life and music of the classical Aleppan singer and composer Sabri Moudallal (1918-2006). "Maqam" is the melodic system of traditional Arabic music.

Wild is the Spring

Through a series of vignettes from the ancient and war-torn Levant, WILD IS THE SPRING captures moments in the lives of diverse ethnic communities who struggle to survive when life descends into chaos.

LYUBA, MAÑANA

Negotiating Amnesia

Negotiating Amnesia is an essay film based on research conducted at the Alinari Archive and the National Library in Florence. It focuses on the Ethiopian War of 1935-36 and the legacy of the fascist, imperial drive in Italy. Through interviews, archival images and the analysis of high-school textbooks employed in Italy since 1946, the film shifts through different historical and personal anecdotes, modes and technologies of representation.

Nacido en Siria

This intimate documentary follows a group of Syrian children refugees who narrowly escape a life of torment and integrate into a foreign land.

Hell Jumper

Courage, love and loss. Young people risk their lives with self-funded missions to rescue families in Ukraine’s frontline towns. Told through their own words and unique first-person footage.

Their Houses

Filmmaker Cam Archer examines and explores his ordinary, suburban neighborhood in search of hidden truths, new narratives and a better understanding of his fading, creative self. Combining heavily degraded video with personal photographs and real life neighbors, Archer re-imagines the concept of 'home video'. In an attempt to distance himself from his subjects, actress Jena Malone narrates the piece as Archer in the first person.

Mary Remembering

A short animated documentary featuring archival recordings of the filmmaker's Volga-German Great-Great-Grandmother, Mary Frank Lind, in which she recalls key memories of childhood—her father's windmill, warm rains, wolf sightings, bone trading, and her passion for carpentry, which broke gender norms but was supported by her father.

Faces of Death III

The third installment of the infamous "is it real or fake?" mondo series sets its sights primarily on serial killers, with lengthy reenactments of police investigations of bodies being found in dumpsters, and a staged courtroom sequence.

Electronic Control System of the C-1 Auto Pilot Part 1: Basic Electricity as Applied to Electronic Control System

Animated training film depicting the fundamentals of electricity and how electrical signals can be used to keep an airplane on correct course and altitude through an autopilot.

The Karma Killings

"The Karma Killings," is a modern-day crime thriller mixed in with Indian mythology and class warfare. The documentary delves into India's most infamous serial killings and its impact on a nation. Told through the people directly involved, the film unravels the complexities of the case and goes beyond the sensational headlines to present a suspenseful and scary mystery. And has a huge twist - one of the killers maybe innocent?

How to Remember

The story of a young Kurdish man who tries to remember his past traumatic experiences. A young migrant struggles to remember the memories of post-2015 Turkey while faced with the commemoration practices of the Holocaust. The film takes place in present-day Krakow, Poland, particularly in the former Nazi concentration camp in Plaszow.

RE:MEMBER

RE:MEMBER is a documentary, split into three chapters, that provides insights into the topics of memory, media, and history, specifically through the lens of two millennial participants. Through their testimonies and introspections, we start to see the rift between the media they were nostalgic for and the reality we currently live in. They also consider how our current attitudes towards media have shaped our previous environments and how we can change society to better our future generations.

Armenia: A Love Story

Two American teenagers become intrigued by Armenia's history and culture after learning about the 2020 aggression by Azerbaijan that devastated the Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabach district from a friend's war correspondent father. Mark Tomlet and his friend Amy Holton embark on a life-changing journey to Armenia, visiting the war zone only months after an uneasy ceasefire was declared, and interview people affected by the war. In the process, the two learn a lot about themselves and how much they take for granted. That first trip leads to more engagement with Armenia, leading tours to the country, and eventually, something amazing happens that brings joy out of the tragedy of war. It's a serendipitous story of hope from tragedy, a chance adventure, and love blossoming even in the worst of circumstances.

ذاكرة الصبار

A 42 minute documentary film that combines the cactus and the memories it stands for. The film addresses the story of the destruction of the Palestinian villages of Latroun in the Occupied West Bank and the forcible transfer of their civilian population in 1967. Over 40 years later, the Israeli occupation continues, and villagers remain displaced. The film follows two separate but parallel journeys. Aisha Um Najeh takes us down the painful road that Palestinians have been forcefully pushed down, separating them in time and place from the land they nurtured; while Israelis walk freely through that land, enjoying its fruits. The stems of the cactus, however, take a few of them to discover the reality of the crime committed.

Buck Southworth: U.S. Air Force Flight Crew

In this short documentary, the life story of Buck Southworth as a U.S. Air Force aircrewman is told and narrated by his wife, Priscilla Southworth, now a Cemetery Volunteer at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery. This is a remarkable and touching documentary about bravery, mission and love.