Oscar sets short documentary shortlist

LOS ANGELES—Social problems, medical challenges and the power of music are among the subjects covered by the eight short documentaries shortlisted for Oscar consideration by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Three to five of the films will be chosen as nominees, which will be announced January 23 along with the contenders in the other categories.
On the social front, Ruby Yang's "The Blood of Yingzhou District" looks at children in China who have been orphaned because of AIDS. "The Diary of Immaculee" by Peter LeDonne tells the story of a woman who survived the Rwandan genocide. Leslie Iwerks' "Recycled Life" is an account of people living and working around a toxic landfill in Guatemala City.
Medical issues are examined in Lori Benson's "Dear Talula," a personal documentary about dealing with breast cancer, and Marilyn Braverman's "A Revolving Door" in which a family helps a son deal with mental illness and addiction.
The films that cast a spotlight on musical subjects include Karina Epperlein's "Phoenix Dance," in which Homer Avila dances a pas de deux despite the loss of his leg; Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon's "Rehearsing a Dream," which follows 17-year-old artists during a week of mentoring with such figures as Mikhail Baryshnikov, Vanessa Williams and Michael Tilson Thomas; and Nathaniel Kahn's "Two Hands," a portrait of pianist Leon Fleisher, who after losing the ability to play with his right hand in the '60s played with only his left until experimental surgery enabled him to return to playing with both hands.—Agencies