Violet Crown Cinema on West 2nd Street is currently one of the few cinemas in Austin playing an array of Oscar nominated films. They are playing all five nominated documentary shorts, including “The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life” by Malcolm Clarke and Nicholas Reed, “Karama Has No Walls” by Sara Ishaq and “Facing Fear” by Jason Cohen, to name a few.

While all three shorts were incredible, I am betting on “Karama Has No Walls” to take the Oscar this year. The film takes place in Yemen during the uprising of the revolution in 2011. A country full of citizens exasperated by their lack of human rights unites together to form a peaceful protest. The protest quickly escalates when pro-government thugs ruthlessly backlash at the protestors with violence. 53 peaceful protestors were killed by snipers on the roofs of buildings surrounding the protest.

The documentary was filmed by Yemen citizens who were experiencing the tragedy first hand. The most heart-tugging part of the film is the commentary done by family members of martyrs of the revolution. The film is very powerful and eye opening to the complicated controversies regarding the lack of human rights in West Asia and the Middle East.

If there were a runner up for the best short film, it would be “The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life.” The film is narrated by the world’s oldest known Holocaust survivor, Alice Herz-Sommer who passed away recently on Feb. 23. Herz-Sommer was 110 years old.

Upon hearing how enthusiastically she speaks and presents herself, you would never guess that she was a Holocaust survivor. The film shows how positive she lived her life and survived the Holocaust through her love of music.

Herz-Sommer was a famous musician and pianist, which saved her during the Holocaust. The film depicts what the Nazis would do with the talented and famous people of Jewish descent. People like Alice are shown being taken to separate parts of concentration camps where musicians and actors were forced to perform and entertain the Nazi Germans.

Aside from the outlet in which they could express their talents, they did not receive better treatment. However their abilities were what made the Nazis decide to keep them alive for as long as they did.

I would strongly recommend any of these short films to anyone looking to watch a life changing documentary about real people and their fascinating stories.