Faculty and alumni shortlisted for the 97th Academy Awards

From top right: Rafael Roy (’18), Professor Jason Spingarn-Koff (’01) and Katie Bernstein (’21).

Congratulations to our Academy Award shortlisted filmmakers! Alexis Bloom (’01) directed “The Bibi Files“, shortlisted for best Documentary Feature Film. Professor Jason Spingarn-Koff (’01) was executive producer of LA Times Short Docs’  “A Swim Lesson” and “Planetwalker,” and Rafael Roy (’18) was the director of photography, Katie Bernstein (’21) the post-producer and additional editor and Gina Pollack (’16) an assistant editor on “I Am Ready, Warden”, shortlisted for best Documentary Short Film the 97th Academy Awards.

Watch the films: ‘The Bibi Files’ is streaming on Jolt until March 16, 2025, “A Swim Lesson” and “Planetwalker” are available at latimes.com/shortdocs, and “I Am Ready, Warden” on Paramount Plus.

Alexis Bloom (Photo by Michelle Quance/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images)

Read an AP story on Bloom and the film’s producer, veteran documentarian Alex Gibney here and Variety’s Chief Film Critic Owen Gleiberman’s review—describing it as “an extraordinary and essential documentary” and Bloom as “an ace filmmaker who knows just how to pace an inquiry into the metastasization of power”—here.

Nominations voting begins on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, and concludes on Sunday, January 12, 2025.

Nominations for the 97th Academy Awards will be announced on Friday, January 17, 2025.

The 97th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC, streamed live on Hulu and airs live in more than 200 territories worldwide.

Support the work of our documentary film students by donating to our Fine Cut Fund today.