The five films nominated in the Documentary Short Film category of the Academy Awards are no walk in the park.
They cover some heavy topics, including care for the dying in America's hospitals and the war in Syria. Even the most lighthearted of the five starts with the story of a Holocaust survivor.
That's the opener of the first program, "Joe's Violin," in which former "Daily Show" producer Kahane Cooperman follows the journey of a musical instrument from Joe Feingold, who bought it in a displaced-person camp after World War II for a carton of cigarettes, to the hands of a seventh-grader in The Bronx.
Dan Krauss' "Extremis" goes into the intensive-care unit of an Oakland, Calif., hospital, as doctors help family members make difficult decisions about their ailing loved ones' impending deaths. That's followed by Daphne Matziaraki's "4.1 Miles," in which the viewer rides along with a rescue boat from the Greek island of Lesbos, picking up refugees crossing in unstable boats.
The second program goes deep into the war in Syria, with harrowing footage and heartbreaking interviews. "Watani, My Homeland," by Marcel Mettelsiefen, follows an Aleppo family from their rubble-strewn home to their escape to a German town. And Orlando von Einsiedel's "The White Helmets" profiles the Syria Civil Defense, the volunteer first-responder group that has saved some 58,000 people from bombed-out buildings in the past four years.
My favorite of the five is "Watani, My Homeland," which beautifully captures the family's grief at leaving Syria (and losing the family's father, missing and presumed dead at the hands of the so-called Islamic State) and hope for their new life in Germany. The good news is that viewers, and the Oscar voters, can't really go wrong with any of these stories.
movies@sltrib.com
Twitter: @moviecricket
—
HHHhj
Oscar-nominated documentary short films
Movies that detail a Holocaust survivor's legacy, the war in Syria and its stream of refugees, and the tough decisions of life and death.
Where • Tower Theatre.
When • Opens Friday, Feb. 17.
Rating • Not rated, but probably R for depictions of war violence.
Running time • Shown in two programs, of 76 and 85 minutes.
| courtesy Shorts International A volunteer for the Syrian Civil Defense, which rescues people trapped in rubble from the country's civil war, in a scene from the short documentary "The White Helmets." The documentary is one of five Oscar-nominated short documentaries screening, starting Feb. 17, at the Tower Theatre.
| courtesy Shorts International A rebel Syrian fighter tries to protect his family in the short documentary "Watani: My Homeland." The documentary is one of five Oscar-nominated short documentaries screening, starting Feb. 17, at the Tower Theatre.
| courtesy Shorts International Joseph Feingold, a Holocaust survivor, shows off the violin he bought at a displaced-persons camp after World War II, in a scene from the short documentary "Joe's Violin." The documentary is one of five Oscar-nominated short documentaries screening, starting Feb. 17, at the Tower Theatre.
| courtesy Shorts International A ship's captain watches for refugees trying to make the journey from Turkey to Lesbos, in a scene from the short documentary "4.1 Miles." The documentary is one of five Oscar-nominated short documentaries screening, starting Feb. 17, at the Tower Theatre.
Donate to the newsroom now. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax deductible