Oscar Documentary Short Subjects 2006

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(PG-13) 3.5 Stars

Ed Johnson-Ott A round of applause and a tip of the hat to Key Cinemas Beech Grove for presenting the four 2006 Oscar nominees for Best Documentary Short Subject, including the winner: A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin. The non-fiction quartet, assembled by Apollo Cinema, an L.A.-based international distributor of short films, opens Friday for one week only, so don’t dilly-dally. The Death of Kevin Carter: Casualty of the Bang Bang Club (Dan Krauss, USA) Running time: 27 minutes Description: After shooting an award-winning photograph that captured the full horror of starvation in the Sudan, South African photojournalist Kevin Carter found himself tormented by doubts about the ethical implications of his work. Impressions: The tragic true story of a man torn apart by the tragedy he documented. Does it get more ironic than that? Given the nightmarish vistas of suffering and dying people, it seemed a bit odd to be watching a documentary about the angst of a reporter, but his kind of pain is valid, too. Wait until you hear the comments at the end by Craig’s buddy and his daughter. Yikes. God Sleeps in Rwanda (Kimberlee Acquaro and Stacy Sherman, USA) Running time: 30 minutes The genocide that devastated Rwanda in 1994 also left in its wake a population that was suddenly 70 percent female. Five courageous women struggle to rebuild their lives in a society still reeling from its bloody recent history. Impressions: A straightforward look at several inspirational women. One by one, they speak of their horrific pasts in a matter-of-fact fashion, and then they show what they are doing to create a better future. Stirring. The Mushroom Club (Steven Okazaki, USA) Running time: 35 minutes In this examination of the terrible personal toll that followed the atomic bombing of Hiroshima by America 60 years ago, 10 people are profiled whose lives were marked by the explosion. Impressions: In contemporary Hiroshima, survivors and the children of survivors tell their stories. The importance of preserving the memories is not shared by all. Some memorials have even been struck by vandals. Those people need to remember. And every American needs to as well. A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin (Corinne Marrinan and Eric Simonson, USA) Running time: 40 minutes The exploration of the lasting impact of radio broadcasting legend Norman Corwin’s work focuses on his landmark 1945 piece, On a Note of Triumph, which aired on the evening of VE Day. Impressions: Carl Sandburg described Norman Corwin’s “On a Note of Triumph” as “one of the great American poems.” Luminaries including Robert Altman, Norman Lear and Studs Turkel pay homage to Corwin, a larger-than-life man with a very theatrical delivery style. The feature is well-assembled and interesting, incorporating numerous segments from his works.

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