Article by Marcus Siu
Continuing in March, you will be able to see the 2023 Oscar Nominated Short Films in theaters all around the country. The number of theaters have increased from previous years, so it no longer is necessary to drive fifty miles to the nearest theater like in the past.
Historically, the Live Action shorts and Animation shorts have always been much more popular than the documentary shorts, so before you know it, the short docs could disappear in a blink of an eye.
With the Netflix age, it’s interesting that many of these films are available for streaming. For example, if you have Netflix, you will be able to stream two of the Short docs now and stream the other two New Yorker doc shorts on YouTube and Vimeo. So, in theory, you can watch four out of the five short documentaries at home. This might have sounded implausible ten years ago before streaming became mainstream.
Just type in your location and find a theater playing the shorts near you.
https://shorts.tv/theoscarshorts/tickets/
Below are the five nominated documentary short films: three trailers and two shorts in its entirety.
‘Haulout’
UK/25 MINS/2022
Director
Evgenia Arbugaeva, Maxim Arbugaev
Synopsis
On a remote coast of the Siberian Arctic in a wind-battered hut, a lonely man waits to witness an ancient gathering. But warming seas and rising temperatures bring an unexpected change, and he soon finds himself overwhelmed.
STREAM ON THE LINK BELOW
‘The Martha Mitchell Effect’
USA/39 MINS/2022
Director
Anne Alvergue, Debra McClutchy
Synopsis
She was once as famous as Jackie O. And then she tried to take down a President. The Martha Mitchell Effect is an archival documentary portrait of the unlikeliest of whistleblowers: Martha Mitchell, a Republican cabinet wife who was gaslighted by the Nixon Administration to keep her quiet. It offers a female gaze on Watergate through the voice of the woman herself.
NOW STREAMING ON NETFLIX
‘The Elephant Whisperers’
INDIA/39 MINS/2022
Director
Kartiki Gonsalves
Synopsis
The Elephant Whisperers follows an indigenous couple as they fall in love with Raghu, an orphaned elephant given into their care, and tirelessly work to ensure his recovery and survival.
NOW STREAMING ON NETFLIX
‘How Do You Measure a Year?’
USA/29 MINS/2022
Director
Jay Rosenblatt
Synopsis
For 17 years, filmmaker Jay Rosenblatt filmed his daughter Ella on her birthday in the same spot, asking the same questions. What results is a unique chance to watch time, to see a young woman come into focus physically, mentally and emotionally.
Not yet available to stream.
‘Stranger at the Gate’
USA/30 MINS/2022
Director
Joshua Seftel
Synopsis
From Executive Producer Malala Yousafzai. After 25 years of service, a US Marine filled with hatred for Muslims plots to bomb an Indiana mosque. When he comes face to face with the immigrants he seeks to kill, the story takes a shocking twist toward compassion, grace, and forgiveness.
STREAM ON THE LINK BELOW
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