The five nominated short documentaries are divided into
two programs in most places because of the length of the films. Maybe they’ve
also been split up because there’s hardly a soul who can handle in one sitting
stories of women with cancer, Rwandan children with heart disease, homeless New
Yorkers collecting cans and bottles for income, and a homeless teenager. There
is certainly no shortage of tears in the audience during any screening of these
films, all of which are deeply moving experiences and, in most cases, excellent
examples of documentary filmmaking. Here are my brief reactions in rough order
of preference.
The most inspiring, my favorite, and also my pick to win
the award is Inocente, which follows a 15-year old artist in San Diego whose
family has spent years being homeless and drifting from shelter to shelter after
escaping an abusive father. Her paintings not only provide a much needed outlet
of expression, but also an opportunity to make something of her life when a
local program gives her the chance to put on an art show. I’m very suspicious
that this girl happened to be chosen as one of two young artists out of 5000 to
do a show. I have a feeling there was some manipulation or collusion between the
documentarians and the charity because it feels too perfect. I’m not really
concerned with that, however, because if it means this girl gets better future
opportunities as a result, and also that the charity gets more exposure and
thus more funding, it means it can help more people. There’s a whole lot of
material crammed into this 40 minutes. The only regret is that we would love to
know what happens to her ten years from now, but we may never find out.
