Death by Numbers – dir. Kim A. Snyder, 33 min. US (in English)
Death by Numbers turns an intimate lens on school shooting survivor Sam Fuentes’s journey to reclaim her power, processing trauma through journaling. To prepare for a confrontation with her assailant in his harrowing sentencing trial, she examines complex questions of collective hatred and justice.
I am Ready, Warden – dir. Smriti Mundhra, 37 min. US (in English)
The latest documentary short film, from MTV Documentary Films, I am Ready Warden, by acclaimed filmmaker Smriti Mundhra (Indian Matchmaking, St. Louis Superman) tells the harrowing and emotionally charged story of John Henry Ramirez, a man convicted of murder and sentenced to death in Texas. Through his time on death row, the film offers a rare and intimate glimpse into his attempts to seek redemption and reconciliation. To gain access to the Texas prison system, Mundhra collaborated with journalist Keri Blakinger, whose New York Times Magazine article “The Dungeons and Dragons Players of Death Row” was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
Incident – dir. Bill Morrison, 30 min. US. (in English)
Through a montage of surveillance and police body-camera footage, a reconstruction of a deadly shooting by a Chicago police officer becomes an investigation into how a narrative begins to take shape in the aftermath.
Instruments of a Beating Heart – dir. Ema Ryan Yamazaki, 23 min. Japan. (in Japanese with subtitles)
A New York Times Op-Doc. First graders in a Tokyo public elementary school are presented with a challenge for the final semester: to form an orchestra and perform “Ode to Joy” at a school ceremony.
The Only Girl in the Orchestra – dir. Molly O’Brien, 35 min. US. (in English)
Trailblazing double bassist Orin O’Brien was never one to seek the spotlight, but when Leonard Bernstein hired her in 1966 as the first female musician in the New York Philharmonic, she inevitably became the focus of media attention and, ultimately, one of the most renowned musicians of a generation.
Also playing at the JBFC: the 2025 Animated Oscar Shorts and the 2025 Live Action Oscar Shorts.
