10:16,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. The “The Last Repair Shop,” a short documentary from the Academy Award-nominated directing duo Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers, which features an Armenian character that is central to its story, has made the Oscar shortlist for Best Documentary Short Film, Asbarez reports. 

The film tells the story of four devoted craftspeople who help keep over 80,000 student musical instruments in good repair in the city of Los Angeles, led by the charming general manager, Steve Bagmanyan, who faced ethnic persecution in Azerbaijan in the 1980s. The film blends the unexpectedly intimate personal histories of the repair people with emotional, firsthand accounts from the actual student musicians for whom their instruments made all the difference.

Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers were both nominated for an Academy Award in 2021. Ben Proudfoot won an Academy Award in 2022.

“The Last Repair Shop” is available online on Los Angeles Times’ YouTube channel.

With one month to go until the nominations are unveiled for the 96th Oscars, the Academy has announced shortlists in 10 categories: Documentary Feature Film, Documentary Short Film, International Feature Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Music (Original Score), Music (Original Song), Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, Sound, and Visual Effects.

Each shortlist is determined by members of that corresponding branch, except for International Feature Film and Live Action Short Film. (Members from all branches are invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must meet a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.)

The nominations for the 96th Oscars will be announced on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024, while the Oscars ceremony will be held on Sunday, March 10, 2024 at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.

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