Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers’ The Last Repair Shop has won in the Best Documentary Short Film category at the 2024 Academy Awards. The 39-minute short documentary tells the inspiring story of four artisans in Los Angeles dedicated to maintaining 80,000 musical instruments. They ensure that every kid studying in LA schools has access to instruments such as trombones, cellos, and more.
The documentary faced stiff competition in the category, with titles like The ABCs of Book Banning, The Barber of Little Rock, Island in Between, The Last Repair Shop, and Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó. For most people, this win came as a big surprise because media outlets and Oscar pundits were predicting The ABCs of Book Banning as the frontrunner in the abovementioned category.
While accepting the award, Bowers thanked the Academy and everyone who supported him and Proudfoot throughout the film. The co-director dedicated this award to all American schools’ “unsung and unseen” heroes. During his speech, he said, “The Last Repair Shop is about the heroes in our schools who often got unthanked and unseen. But tonight, you are thanked and you are seen.”
Bowers was accompanied by Proudfoot and 12-year-old Porshe Brinker, who appeared in the documentary. In his speech, he also gave a shoutout to the legendary composer John Williams, who inspired him to become a composer.
What is The Last Repair Shop all about?
As mentioned earlier, The Last Repair Shop primarily focuses on craftspeople who repair musical instruments for free. Several schools in Los Angeles received these instruments, allowing the students to learn to play them. The four technicians featured in the project are Steve Bagmanyan, Paty Moreno, Duane Michaels, and Dana Atkinson. Interestingly, Bagmanyan used to repair the piano in the shop and has now become the shop’s supervisor.
In the documentary, several students share their experiences of starting their musical journey with repaired instruments. The film had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival in September 2023. Since then, it has been played at several prestigious festivals.
The film has had a significant impact in the recent few months. Recently, the film raised $15 million for the repair shop. According to Deadline, the money will support workshop’s craftspeople and support staff. The media outlet also noted that the campaign will fund “a student apprenticeship program that will build the next generation of instrument technicians.”
The short helped in raising $15 million for the Repair Shop
The film has created a lot of impact in the recent few months. Recently, the film raised $15 million for the repair shop. According to Deadline, the money will support workshop’s craftspeople and support staff. The media outlet also noted that campaign will fund “a student apprenticeship program that will build the next generation of instrument technicians.”
The repairers of the shop also graced the star-studded event at the Los Angeles’ Dolby Theater. While talking on the red carpet, one of the repairers encouraged people to never stop dreaming. She said, “Keep doing what you do and never stop dreaming.” Meanwhile, another repairer noted that the film has been magical for all of them.
Subsequently, Bowers also made it clear that more and more cities in the US should provide free musical instruments to schools. He said, “L.A. is one of the last cities in America to give public school students free and freely prepared instruments. We need to fix that because music education isn’t just about creating incredible musicians. It’s about creating incredible humans
The documentary short is available for streaming on Disney+, Hulu, and the official YouTube channel of the Los Angeles Times.
