I enjoy a mad-dash last minute March Madness Movie binge to see as many nominated films as possible before Oscar night on March 15. For the casual armchair popcorn enthusiast like me, there are categories that are easier than others where you can catch up so all those nominees aren’t strangers: the short films.
A lot of the nominated shorts quietly show up online in the weeks leading up to Oscar night. You can squeeze one in between dinner and whatever prestige drama you’re pretending to understand. And the truth is, the shorts are often some of the most memorable things you’ll see all year. They’re bold, strange, emotional and don’t overstay their welcome.
Here’s a list of the nominees from the live action and documentary short film categories I was able to find online that all pack a powerful Oscar warm-up punch:
The most haunting of the group is All the Empty Rooms (Netflix, 35 mins.). The documentary follows a project by journalist Steve Hartman and photographer Lou Bopp, who travel the country photographing the preserved bedrooms of children killed in school shootings. The rooms are left just as they were: posters on the wall, stuffed animals on the bed, clothes still hanging in the closet. The camera lingers on these spaces while parents quietly talk about the lives that once filled them. It’s simple but devastating filmmaking. Instead of statistics or policy debates, the film quietly focuses on absence. The silence inside those bedrooms says more than any political commentary ever could.
Another documentary nominee, Armed Only With a Camera (Hulu/HBO Max, 39 mins.), tells the story of war journalist Brent Renaud, who spent years documenting conflict zones around the world. The film traces how Renaud used storytelling and film to bring viewers closer to the people caught in the middle of war, often focusing on families rather than battlefield strategy. Through clips of Renaud’s work and reflections from his brother who worked alongside him for many war films, including the one that took his life, their work shows the power and the danger of bearing witness. The film asks what responsibility journalists have when the camera becomes the only tool they have, and also: in today’s harsh political landscape, if lost, how little would a journalist’s life be honored by the nation they were simply working to inform?
Then there’s The Devil is Busy (HBO, YouTube, 30 mins.) a day-long journey with Tracii, the determined head of security at a women’s healthcare facility in Atlanta as she works to ensure the safety of women seeking abortions in the face of new restrictions and persistent protests. Co-director Geeta Gandbhir is also behind the nominated documentary The Perfect Neighbor; both are harrowing and poignant as you experience the same investigative curiosity she creates, leaving you to consider less comfortable but real parts of society long after the credits roll.
Switching gears to the live action category, The Singers (Netflix, 18 mins.) is intimate, character-driven, and lovely. The film centers on a small group of men in a bar: accidental performers connected by music, each navigating their life circumstances. It’s almost a blue-collar, downtrodden version of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” come to life. The performances are natural, and the film captures that chemistry that forms when people come together to make something beautiful, even if only for a moment.
Finally, there’s Friend of Dorothy (YouTube, 21 mins.) lighter, still emotional, I cried through most of it. The title is a cultural queer reference, and the story explores identity, community, and the coded ways people have historically found one another. The film follows characters, perfectly performed, who form an unexpected bond while navigating questions of belonging and acceptance. It’s warm, funny and moving, the kind of short that reminds you how much story can fit into just a few minutes.
Watching these shorts is like watching the best picture or best documentary nominee films after they’ve been boiled down to their greatest elements. These filmmakers don’t have or need huge budgets or giant marketing campaigns, because they have sharp ideas combined with excellent storytelling ability.