MaryAnn’s quick take… My pick: “Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405,” a marvelous portrait of artist Mindy Alper, one that challenges us all to know ourselves as well as she seems to, even when it’s incredibly painful. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Remarkable women who are enduring, pushing for change, and finding themselves are at the heart of the majority of these short documentaries. This is one of the few Oscars categories in which women make good showings behind the camera, too, and that’s true this year as well, with three of the five nominated films the work of female directors.
The deliciously titled “Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405” [IMDb|official site], from filmmaker Frank Stiefel, is, I suspect, about to win the Oscar for its marvelously moving portrait of Los Angeles artist Mindy Alper.
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Remarkable women who are enduring, pushing for change, and finding themselves are at the heart of the majority of these short documentaries. This is one of the few Oscars categories in which women make good showings behind the camera, too, and that’s true this year as well, with three of the five nominated films the work of female directors.
The deliciously titled “Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405” [IMDb|official site], from filmmaker Frank Stiefel, is, I suspect, about to win the Oscar for its marvelously moving portrait of Los Angeles artist Mindy Alper.
- 3/5/2018
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
With the opioid crisis engulfing the country to the point where it’s been declared a national health emergency, “Heroin(e)” examines one town in West Virginia and three women who are doing their part to guide their communities through this tragedy. The film (currently viewable on Netflix) is one of the five nominees at the Oscars for the Best Documentary Short and marks the first bids for Elaine McMillion Sheldon and Kerrin Sheldon.
The town of Huntington, West Virginia is the second largest city in the state. Right on the border with Ohio and very near Kentucky, the city has just under 50,000 residents, over 350,000 in the surrounding metro area and houses Marshall University. It’s also been on the brutal end of the nation’s opioid crisis with a death-rate that is ten times the national average and been dubbed the “overdose capital of America.” The first of our...
The town of Huntington, West Virginia is the second largest city in the state. Right on the border with Ohio and very near Kentucky, the city has just under 50,000 residents, over 350,000 in the surrounding metro area and houses Marshall University. It’s also been on the brutal end of the nation’s opioid crisis with a death-rate that is ten times the national average and been dubbed the “overdose capital of America.” The first of our...
- 2/28/2018
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
Elaine McMillion Sheldon, director of Netflix’s Oscar-nominated Best Documentary Short Subject, “Heroin(e),” knows her topic too well. While she is a ninth-generation West Virginian who went to graduate school on the East Coast and interned at The Washington Post, many of her peers weren’t so lucky. Two years ago, she and her producing partner husband, Kerrin Sheldon, moved back to their native state to document the opioid crisis. “I personally have had a lot of friends and classmates from middle school and high school become addicted or are currently in rehab, or in longterm recovery,” McMillion Sheldon said in a recent phone interview. “It’s a story that was haunting us both.”
Huntington, West Virginia (population: 48,000) experienced 10 times the national overdose rate in 2015. “Heroin(e)” protagonist Jan Rader — the state’s first female fire chief — fields calls for up to 26 opioid overdoses per day. She explains in...
Huntington, West Virginia (population: 48,000) experienced 10 times the national overdose rate in 2015. “Heroin(e)” protagonist Jan Rader — the state’s first female fire chief — fields calls for up to 26 opioid overdoses per day. She explains in...
- 2/27/2018
- by Jenna Marotta
- Indiewire
Three of the most difficult categories to call every year at the Oscars are those of the short films. They lack precursor prizes and, in many cases, visibility. If you are not able to see these films before the Academy Awards on March 4, don’t worry: we’ve got you covered. Below is our take on the five nominees for Best Documentary Short.
A screening committee drawn from documentary branch members winnowed a field of 77 entries down to 10 semi-finalists for the Best Documentary Short Oscar using an averaged scoring system. As with the last two years, this marks an increase from the eight it has been in the past. All members of the branch could take part in the second round which was done by preferential voting. All members of the academy will receive DVDs of the five nominees and can vote for the winner.
See 2018 Oscars: Best Live Action...
A screening committee drawn from documentary branch members winnowed a field of 77 entries down to 10 semi-finalists for the Best Documentary Short Oscar using an averaged scoring system. As with the last two years, this marks an increase from the eight it has been in the past. All members of the branch could take part in the second round which was done by preferential voting. All members of the academy will receive DVDs of the five nominees and can vote for the winner.
See 2018 Oscars: Best Live Action...
- 2/22/2018
- by Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
For director Elaine McMillion Sheldon, the documentary “Heroin(e)” was personal. Her Oscar-nominated short follows three women in Huntington, West Virginia, trying to help victims of the opioid epidemic. A resident of the state, which leads the nation in drug overdose deaths, Sheldon wanted to make the film because the crisis has “impacted a lot of people I know in a very personal way.” But rather than paint a bleak portrait, Sheldon hoped to shine a light on “the people on the ground actually working towards change every day.” Watch our exclusive video interview with Sheldon above.
See 2018 Oscar nominations: Full list of Academy Awards nominees in all 24 categories
When Sheldon and her husband, producer and cinematographer Kerrin James Sheldon, first set out to make the film they weren’t quite sure what it would be about. “It was more research around trying to find stories,” she explains. Through their travels they found Jan Rader,...
See 2018 Oscar nominations: Full list of Academy Awards nominees in all 24 categories
When Sheldon and her husband, producer and cinematographer Kerrin James Sheldon, first set out to make the film they weren’t quite sure what it would be about. “It was more research around trying to find stories,” she explains. Through their travels they found Jan Rader,...
- 2/15/2018
- by Zach Laws
- Gold Derby
The Oscar-nominated documentary shorts program has always been a chance for the Academy to highlight urgent social issues, and this year is no different. Sticking close to home during a year of political unease, all five of the nominated films hail from the United States, and clearly the country has plenty to examine. Ranging in topic from police brutality to mental illness to the opioid crisis, each nominee uses human stories as an entry point. Clocking in between 30 and 40 minutes, this crop of films offers a deeper dive beneath the headlines — revealing the personal toll a crisis exacts from real people.
Read More:2018 Oscar Nominated Live-Action Shorts Review: Two Frontrunners Emerge in Varied and Political Field
All three groups of Oscar nominated shorts — live-action, animated, and documentary — will be released by ShortsHD in theaters across the country next week, when more adventurous cinephiles can discover the joys of short films.
Read More:2018 Oscar Nominated Live-Action Shorts Review: Two Frontrunners Emerge in Varied and Political Field
All three groups of Oscar nominated shorts — live-action, animated, and documentary — will be released by ShortsHD in theaters across the country next week, when more adventurous cinephiles can discover the joys of short films.
- 2/6/2018
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
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