Some of the most talked-about screenings at the San Jose International Short Film Festival aren’t made up at all. Our documentary programs bring true stories from around the world to the big screen, and plenty of them pack more into 15 minutes than most features manage in two hours. While we get ready for our 15th festival this October, here are five documentary shorts from recent lineups that you can watch right now.
The Queen of Basketball
Directed by Ben Proudfoot · Best Documentary, 2021
Lusia “Lucy” Harris grew up in rural Mississippi watching N.B.A. games past her bedtime and dreaming of playing on those same courts. She became a three-time national college champion, an Olympic silver medalist and the first woman to score a basket in the Olympics. This portrait won Best Documentary at SJSFF in 2021 and went on to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.
Stills from The Queen of Basketball.
Freedom Swimmer
Directed by Olivia Martin-McGuire · Best Documentary, 2022
Between 1950 and 1980, an estimated two million people fled China for Hong Kong, many of them by swimming some five miles of dangerous, freezing water. Australian director Olivia Martin-McGuire tells one of those stories through a mix of hand-made animation and live action, and the result took home our Best Documentary award in 2022.
Stills from Freedom Swimmer.
Generation Impact: The Coder
Directed by Samantha Knowles · SJSFF 2021
Jay’Aina “Jay Jay” Patton discovered coding at 10, learning over her dad Antoine’s shoulder. By 16 she had built her own app, Photo Patch, and was helping teach thousands of people of color to code through Unlock Academy. It’s the first film in HP’s Generation Impact series about young people improving their communities with technology, and it’s a seven-minute shot of optimism.
Stills from Generation Impact: The Coder.
Not the Science Type: Dr. Jessica Taaffe
From the 3M docuseries Not the Science Type · SJSFF 2021
Not the Science Type is a four-part docuseries from 3M that takes on negative stereotypes and the need for greater diversity, equity and inclusion in science, technology, engineering and math. This episode, which screened at SJSFF in 2021 after premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival, profiles scientist Dr. Jessica Taaffe.
Stills from Not the Science Type: Dr. Jessica Taaffe.
In Search of Boozers and Schmucks
Directed by Hrag Yedalian · SJSFF 2022
In the high-stakes world of sports card collecting, people spend millions chasing rookie cards. Joshua Morris is after something else entirely: cards that are funny. Comical names, hilarious photos and great backstories are his specialty, and his holy grail is an autographed card of the late NASCAR driver Dick Trickle. It’s the most charming 13 minutes in this list.
Stills from In Search of Boozers and Schmucks.
More True Stories in October
Our documentary programs return for the 15th annual San Jose International Short Film Festival, October 12–15, 2023, at CineArts at Santana Row. Until then, browse every year’s winners and lineups on our Awards page.
