Every year, BendFilm is full of a variety of short films, but this year marks the first time our local festival has had the distinction of being an Oscar-qualifying festival for short format films. It is the only festival in the state and one of 27 in the country to hold that qualification. This year, there are 75 shorties in the 2021 festival and here are just a few from four different category blocks (there are nine specific category blocks plus films that will air before features and a local focus category) to keep an eye on. Who knows, maybe one of them will end up taking home Oscar gold in 2022.

Shorts Block One — Matters of Life and Death

“The Roads Most Traveled” — Photojournalist Don Bartletti reflects on his career, specifically his series on migrants crossing the southern border. The 23-minute documentary is surprisingly moving as Bartletti guides the audience through the stories behind his photos, including his powerful 2003 Pulitzer prize-winning “Enrique’s Journey,” which documented Central American children as they made their perilous journey to the Mexican-U.S. border.

“On My Mind” — The beautiful and understated film is guaranteed to make you cry. Henrik (Rasmus Hammerich) wanders into a bar in the middle of the day, met by a caring bartender and the crotchety bar owner (Camilla Bendix and Ole Boisen). After downing a couple of strong drinks, he begs to be able to sing one song on the karaoke machine before leaving for an appointment. The reasons are both heartbreaking and beautiful and the film tackles the subjects with great ease and emotion that’s never melodramatic.

“Last Meal” — The documentary goes on a bit too long, but the information is interesting nonetheless. Using voice-over and gorgeous shots of food, directors Marcus McKenzie and Daniel Principe guide viewers through the last meals of death-row inmates. Featuring both the opulent and simple requests, the film dives into the use of the death penalty as a whole and the flaws within the practice, besides the inhumanity of it all.

Shorts Block Two — A Place for Everyone

“Freebird” — The animated film guides viewers through the life of a single mom and her son. Though there is no dialogue or anything that overtly says what’s going on: It’s revealed through flashback the baby will be born with Down Syndrome, leading the father to abandon them both. But mom perseveres, raising him just like any other kid, and her son thrives. It’s really beautiful and a great way to tell a story.

“The Black Stonefly” — This simple documentary has both gorgeous camera work and compelling subject matter. Gian Lawrence felt he never quite fit in in his Puyallup high school, saying he was “too black for the white kids and too white for the black kids.” This sense of not belonging led him to some trouble and, after he was stabbed in a fight, to change his path. He found fly fishing. The documentary directed by Cody Lewis and Marc Rotse tells Lawrence’s story about finding his place in a world that typically doesn’t include the BIPOC community, and how he aims to inspire others to join him in the river.

“Rat Tail” — Director Chad Sogas guides viewers through his childhood and his 10-year affair with his rat tail. As he remembers his life along with discussions with his family he reveals his struggles with anxiety and depression including his thoughts of suicide, which as he finds out through the course of filming, still affect him today.

Shorts Block Four — Connections

“Burros” — This narrative feature tells the simple and effective story of a young Indigenous girl named Elsa (Amaya Juan) who befriends a young migrant named Ena (Zuemmy Carrillo), who has lost her father after they crossed the border. The two don’t speak the same language but become friends regardless as they wander around Elsa’s home in the Tohono O’odham lands in Arizona.

“Chocolate Cake and Ice Cream” — The fun animated short features a quirky song along with a sweet story of a French dog as he meets and befriends a stray cat one day in the park. The quick story runs the gamut of emotions all within its adorable three-and-a-half-minute runtime.

Shorts Block Five — Breaking the Mold

“All Bodies on Bikes” — This isn’t your typical outdoor documentary. Kailey Kornhauser and Marley Blonsky are two Portland cyclists who self-describe themselves as fat, and they aim to show that the world of cycling should not be restricted based on anyone’s size. “Every body’s meant to move,” they say, and as the film documents their 65-mile bike-packing trip along the Corvallis to Coast Trail, it’s clear that these ladies are just as hardcore as people in “typical” body types for the sport.

“Miss Alma Thomas: A Life in Color” — I wish this documentary were longer. But at least we have been given a soupcon of a look into the fascinating and trailblazing life of painter Alma Thomas, and her life as a teacher leading up to her artistic career after retiring. As one interviewee puts it, she “hit her stride at 75.”

“Pho the People” — Portland real estate agent Mayram Tu decided with the help of her partner to sell bone broth for pho out of her home when the pandemic hit. This first-generation Vietnamese woman packs a lot of heart into her food while trying to help out her community and BIPOC Portlanders during the summer 2020 protests, with soup.