Oscars Short Doc Nominees Discuss Their Films – and Getting Bumped From the Awards Telecast (Video)

thewrap.com:

so many others in the Academy, they feel optimistic about the future of documentary short films as the projects become more accessible.“The short doc has the lowest barrier of entry to all forms of cinema,” said Ben Proudfoot, director of “The Queen of Basketball.” “As we think about making the film industry more diverse, more viable, more international… I think the short doc is the most exciting corner of cinema.

Frankly, regardless of how the telecast is produced, the growth of this part of the industry is going to happen anyway,” Proudfoot added.Proudfoot was one of six nominated filmmakers who spoke with TheWrap’s Steve Pond on Tuesday about their work.

For Proudfoot, it is his second straight year as part of TheWrap’s Oscar showcase, as he was also nominated last year for his profile of “Green Book” composer Kris Bowers in the short doc “A Concerto Is a Conversation.” In one sense, Proudfoot found making “The Queen of Basketball” easier, as basketball hall of famer Lusia Harris was happy to tell him her story about how she became a three-time national champion, the first woman to score in an Olympic basketball game, and the first woman drafted by a professional basketball team.

And though archival footage was hard to find at first, Harris’ alma mater, Delta State University, pulled out hundreds of pictures and film reels of the athlete’s career for Proudfoot to digitize for his film.The challenge came instead from within, as the filmmaker focused on making a movie worthy of Harris’ legacy. “It’s this incredible story and she tells it so well, and I got this treasure trove of archival footage and I thought, ‘Oh man, now I have to put this story together,'” he said.