Oscar®-Nominated Short Films 2025: Documentary

For the 20th consecutive year, ShortsTV presents the Oscar®-Nominated Short Films. With all three categories offered — Animated, Live Action and Documentary — this is your annual chance to predict the winners (and have the edge in your Oscar® pool)! A perennial hit with audiences around the country and the world — don't miss this year's selection of shorts. The Academy Awards® take place Sunday, March 2.

Best Documentary Short Film

INSTRUMENTS OF A BEATING HEART
First graders in a Tokyo public elementary school are presented with a challenge for the final semester: to form an orchestra and perform "Ode to Joy" at a school ceremony. DIR Ema Ryan Yamazaki. Japan, 2024, color, 23 min. In Japanese with English subtitles.

INCIDENT
Through a montage of surveillance and police body-camera footage, a reconstruction of a deadly shooting by a Chicago police officer becomes an investigation into how a narrative begins to take shape in the aftermath. DIR Bill Morrison. U.S., 2023, color, 30 min.

I AM READY, WARDEN
John Henry Ramirez is convicted of murder and sentenced to death in the state of Texas. During his incarceration, Ramirez tries to reach out to his victim's son while also preparing to say goodbye to his own family. DIR Smriti Mundhra. U.S., 2024, color, 37 min.

THE ONLY GIRL IN THE ORCHESTRA
Trailblazing double bassist Orin O'Brien was never one to seek the spotlight, but when Leonard Bernstein hired her in 1966 as the first female musician in the New York Philharmonic, she inevitably became the focus of media attention and, ultimately, one of the most renowned musicians of a generation. DIR Molly O’Brien. U.S., 2023, color, 35 min.

DEATH BY NUMBERS
Four years after being shot with an AR-15 in her high school, Samantha Fuentes reckons with existential questions of hatred and justice as she prepares to confront her shooter. DIR Kim A. Snyder. U.S., 2024, color, 36 min.

CLICK HERE for Oscar®-Nominated Short Films 2025: Animation
CLICK HERE for Oscar®-Nominated Short Films 2025: Live Action

Run Time: 165 Minutes

Opening Date: Friday, February 14, 2025

Genre: Documentary