Day: December 21, 2023

The Last Repair Shop,” a film that features an Armenian character, has made the 2024 Oscars shortlist

The Armenian Film Society announced that the “The Last Repair Shop,” a short documentary from the Academy Award-nominated directing duo Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers, which features an Armenian character that is central to its story, has made the Oscar shortlist for Best Documentary Short Film.

The film tells the story of four devoted craftspeople who help keep over 80,000 student musical instruments in good repair in the city of Los Angeles, led by the charming general manager, Steve Bagmanyan, who faced ethnic persecution in Azerbaijan in the 1980s. The film blends the unexpectedly intimate personal histories of the repair people with emotional, firsthand accounts from the actual student musicians for whom their instruments made all the difference.

Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers were both nominated for an Academy Award in 2021. Ben Proudfoot won an Academy Award in 2022.

“The Last Repair Shop” is available online on Los Angeles Times’ YouTube channel.