3/1/26 - Documentary Shorts

Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud - 8/10 [SHOULD WIN]

This felt like the most complete documentary piece of those nominated. Touching, historical, politically relavent, and strongly told - it holds little back and you feel it all.

All the Empty Rooms - 7/10 [WILL WIN]

Another “choke up” feature, examining the empty room impacts of school shooting. It packs the emotion and poitical heft, but more impressions than tight tale.

The Devil is Busy - 7/10

More heaviness as we walk through a day in the life of an abortion clinic in Atlanta. A tidy look at the issue and those on the front line dealing with this tense and traumatic daily negotiation with life & death. A rock solid doc.

Children No More: Were and Are Gone - 6

Empathetic impact saturates this look at Tel Aviv activist who hold signs of murdered children in Gaza due to Israeli attacks, but other than some heartfelt tugging on the strings of the tapestry of this war & its impacts, it lacks a dialogue. Good but lacks great.

Perfectly a Strangeness - 6/10

Our one non sad doc! Simple tale of donkeys walking up a mountain to see an old observatory. Juxtaposes the astral magnificence with the mechanical whirrings of the observatory - all vividly impressed by the gaze of these cute donkeys. Wordless whimsy with high artsy content - absolutely enchanting visuals.