Oscar Predictions: Best Documentary Short Film

Fifteen documentary films have been shortlisted in the Best Documentary Short Film category for the 97^th Oscars. This race includes films ranging from fifteen to thirty-nine minutes. Compared to the two other short categories and the feature documentary shortlist, this list contains more American-focused and English-language content. Ten of these films, hyperlinked below, are available to watch either for free or via subscription services.

It’s worth first considering filmmakers who have contended for their past work. I Am Ready, Warden, whose director Smriti Mundhra was previously nominated for St. Louis Superman, spotlights a man on death row in Texas as he prepares for his execution. Once Upon a Time in Ukraine director Betsy West previously competed for her feature documentary RBG and now takes on a different role working with an entirely Ukrainian crew to shoot on-the-ground footage following several young children as they live and grow during war. Chasing Roo, from director Skye Fitzgerald, previously nominated for Hunger Ward and Lifeboat, looks at efforts to save kangaroos from hunters in Australia. A Swim Lesson, from actress Rashida Jones in her short film directorial debut and Oscar winner Will McCormack, who made the animated short If Anything Happens I Love You, is a tender look at a swim instructor who specializes in working with children to overcome their fears of the water.

Children and the complicated experiences they go through are subjects frequently seen in this category, like last year’s winner The Last Repair Shop and nominee The ABCs of Book Banning. Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World explores the incredible manner in which a mostly non-verbal autistic teenager has found a way to communicate. Instruments of a Beating Heart chronicles first-graders in Japan tasked with forming an orchestra. Death by Numbers checks in with a survivor of a school shooting as the perpetrator awaits sentencing. Until He’s Back shifts the focus to a father well aware that his son has died at sea trying to come to Spain and unable to access his remains. Eternal Father begins with a patriarch’s desire to be cryogenically frozen after death and leaves his family to process how they feel about it. Keeper looks at a New York City man for whom beekeeping is his life but who realizes the importance of family and being a father when he is diagnosed with cancer.

Boundary-breakers and incredible accomplishments are often celebrated in this category, like past winner The Queen of Basketball and last year’s nominated The Barber of Little Rock. The Only Girl in the Orchestra is another such uplifting tale, profiling Orin O’Brien, the first female musician in the New York Philharmonic. Seat 31: Zooey Zephyr is all about someone continuing to knock down doors and establishments: the transgender Montana representative who faces constant obstacles but isn’t letting them slow her down. Planetwalker looks at the impact of John Francis, an environmental advocate known for not speaking for 17 years and walking everywhere to spread his message.

Like past nominees Traffic Stop and Last Day of Freedom, and the abovementioned I Am Ready, Warden, the criminal justice system in the United States is a topic that is continually in the conversation. Incident presents stark and damning evidence of an officer-involved shooting given far too much context. The Quilters, like a narrative feature expected to earn Oscar nominations this year, Sing Sing, looks at an affirming type of restorative justice: incarcerated individuals in St. Louis sewing quilts for local foster children.  

Predicted nominees: Incident, Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World, Once Upon a Time in Ukraine, Planetwalker, A Swim Lesson