Oscar Shorts Are Tall on Talent
Some Oscar nominees don't get much attention on the red carpet. But the nominees for Best Short Documentary are a diverse, international group with subjects ranging from a Chinese orphan with AIDS to families who make their living scavenging through the Guatemala City garbage dump.
The Blood of Yingzhou District
(Requires RealPlayer)
After he lost his parents to AIDS, Gao Jun stopped speaking. The young Chinese boy stands at the dramatic center of this documentary directed by Ruby Yang. Yang was nominated for an Oscar in 1995 for The Battle Over Citizen Kane.
Recycled Life
(Requires RealPlayer)
This short film by Leslie Iwerks and Mike Glad traces the families that make their living by scavenging through the vast Guatemala City garbage dump looking for items to recycle and sell. Here, young mothers leaves their babies in cardboard box "cribs" while they work.
Rehearsing a Dream
(Requires RealPlayer)
Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon follow gifted high school artists such as Shalita Grant, left, as they spend a week working alongside some of the most celebrated actors, singers and dancers in the performing arts world.
Two Hands
(Requires RealPlayer)
Nathaniel Kahn's film is about the celebrated pianist Leon Fleisher and his 30-year struggle to regain the use of his right hand. Kahn was nominated for an Oscar in 2004 for The Architect, a film about his ailing father.