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2004 Academy Award Nominated Documentary Shorts Part 1 
E-MAIL DANIEL BERMAN When you think your favorite art deco, non-profit, movie house has thought of every kind of event possible that can be imagined they just keep getting better. The Coolidge Corner Cinema in Brookline, Massachusetts has again put together another brilliant program. As all of you know on Sunday February 29th 2004 is the 76th Annual Academy Awards ceremony on ABC-TV at 8pm. What a fantastic way to kick off all of the Oscar hype for this years Academy Awards ceremony then to be able to see nominated short films before Oscar night. The program included documentary shorts like "Ferry Tales" by German Filmmaker Katya Esson, among others. Every year, we look forward to seeing who would walk away with one of the big Oscar statuettes. The six main Oscar categories that everyone is raving about they include: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress categories. This event promotes a particular selection of films that usually doesn't get the attention when it comes to Oscar time. It's always the main six categories that catch the eye of the movie going public, and of course our entertainment Journalists, like myself, who asks the million-dollar question, "Who will get that gold statuette?" In this case, it's the short documentaries that get center stage. I will also be including my own personal perspectives on why these documentaries are up for a possible Oscar win. Welcome to the 2004 selections for nominated documentary shorts...the envelope please. FERRY TALES 40 minute running time Academy Award nominee-Best Documentary Short Subject Film Preview | In Ferry Tales, German Filmmaker Katya Esson takes us inside a ladies powder room and lets us hear, see, and witness this group of female regulars. The morning begins at 5:30am wakeup then the usual rush to catch that all-important ferry to work. The documentary gives the viewer a chance to listen in to what conversations transpire. It all takes place in the powder room on New York's Staten Island Ferry where women can feel free only to be themselves. This unique group of hardworking females comes together to express feelings of joy, sadness, depression, anger, or just sit and have a good laugh. It's an opportunity for women of different ages and backgrounds to be able to say what is on their minds freely. As they put on make-up and prepare they for another busy workday. The women who come and go from the ladies powder room are transformed from housewives to businesswomen, from mothers to lawyers, from sisters to socialites. One regular had said, "It's an everyday routine that has become addictive." Dan's Oscar Summary: After all the years of film going I don't remember if there is a film that can compare to the depth that Ferry Tales has accomplished? Obviously, we all have seen at some point a wonderfully crafted film (short-documentary, or otherwise) about successful women, and how they got to where they are today. Ferry Tales is a very rare and distinctive treat for any filmgoer who loves something different and successfully does so through various perspectives. I think the Academy saw this little gem and the unique style it brings to the table all together. Filmmaker Katya Esson rightfully deserves (I think) at least an Academy nomination for this magnificent documentary short. The film intertwines career, personal lives, and individual points-of-view of these women. But, it certainly carves itself out a very different, original film ninth all it's own. ASYLUM 20 minute running time Academy Award nominee-Best Documentary Short Subject Film Preview | Directors Sandy McLeod and Gini Reticker introduce us to one person nightmarish, and frightening world. Baba, a young Ghanian woman, who is caught with a false passport by the INS. As the painful and lengthy wait continues, as she has to wait in a detention center while a final ruling on her case is being decided. She tells her tale of how she became a refugee. When Baba heads home to get her fathers blessing he becomes a living nightmare. He has already decided her fate should be some old man, and that she should accept her father's choice to marry him with horrible consequences. Baba has no other options but to flee her father's village scared for her life. Heading to the U.S., where once again she is caught in a another bad spot with the U.S. Immigration system. Dan's Oscar Summary: The film was featured in the Sundance and the Human Rights Watch Film Festivals to a huge positive response from the audience. Just two of the reasons why it has brought ASYLUM to being just one of the contenders for Best Documentary Short. It's a disturbing thing to watch but an ultimately fascinating, dark-edged, mind-blowing, and thought provoking. Again, I have to salute the Academy for making ASYLUM just one of the great short films which are nominated for the prestigious award. Click here to comment on this article or post your own thoughts. Daniel Berman © TheWorldJournal.com |
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