Co-directors of LAUSD documentary say it is 'L.A.'s Oscar'

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Directors Kris Bowers and Ben Proudfoot were still holding on to their Oscar statuettes Monday afternoon after the Oscars, but they're eager to share them.

"We are the custodians of this thing, but it belongs to the whole group of people and it also belongs to the people in the film," said Proudfoot.

Their film, "The Last Repair Shop" presented by L.A. Times Studios and Searchlight, won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short. The film features the handful of technicians who repair instruments for LAUSD students.
"This city is filled with people who work so hard, tirelessly, every day, all day every day, making life function making the fabric of the city work," said Proudfoot.

The children who play the repaired instruments offer vulnerable testimonies about the impact they have on them.

"I think that recognition just means so much but also the fact that we made this film about people that weren't thinking about being seen in this way and to have them be seen by this community, I think means, yeah, even more," said Bowers.

Roosevelt High junior and saxophonist Ismerai Calcáneo and Palms Middle School sixth grader and violinist Porché Brinker walked the red carpet with the directors. Brinker led the way to the stage when they won the Oscar.

Watch the video above for the full report.