Doc Shorts gain a new push
Inside Switchboard Magazine’s short film awards campaign
Making a short film is hard enough, but getting it the exposure it deserves can feel nigh impossible. Awards season, in particular, is a marathon few indies can afford to run. As the proverb goes, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” Celia Aniskovich is betting on the latter.
That’s the bold spirit behind the Switchboard Magazine founder and editor-in-chief’s latest move. A fierce champion of short films and diverse voices, Celia launched Switchboard in early 2025 to reshape the nonfiction landscape, showcasing longform storytelling as a source of film and TV adaptation while creating new pathways for independent filmmakers.
Beyond its publishing mission, Switchboard also serves as a home for short films, acquiring a new title each month for its YouTube channel. Its latest initiative is its most ambitious yet: the magazine has acquired four Oscar-qualified shorts - three documentaries and one live-action - and is spearheading a collective awards campaign to give a more diverse array of filmmakers a fairer shot at recognition.
The lineup includes:
Rat Rod directed by Jared Jakins and Carly Jakins
Freeman Vines directed by Tim Kirkman and André Robert Lee
Saving Superman directed by Adam Oppenheim and Samuel-Ali Mirpoorian
Poreless (live-action) directed by Harris Doran and written by Fawzia Mirza, produced by Akbar Hamid, Harris Doran, Fawzia Mirza and Rabia Sultana.
I spoke with Celia and the teams behind the films about why they believe collaboration, not competition, is the future of industry success.
Bella: How did the idea for an awards campaign come about?
Celia: I personally had two short documentaries that qualified for the Oscars last year – Facing the Falls and Taking Back the Groove – and in the process I realized a few things. One of them was that there simply aren’t enough homes for short films. When we launched Switchboard, we knew we wanted to become one of those homes, a space where shorts could live and be seen.
I also realized something else: short filmmaking can be a really lonely experience. You usually put yourself into debt, you wear fifteen different hats, and it can feel like you’re doing it all alone. Short filmmakers need more cheerleaders, more collaborators, a real team around them. That’s what inspired Switchboard to start acquiring shorts, and it’s also what’s driving this new awards campaign.
For most short filmmakers, making a short isn’t a money-making endeavor, it’s a passion project, often a calling card, and a way to gain recognition for their craft. Recognition is often measured in awards, and that’s where we wanted to step in and level the playing field.
The whole Switchboard model is built around collaboration and community. There was an IndieWire piece recently that said, “Sundance Won’t Save Filmmakers, but Communities Might” I loved that line. If this industry is going to survive all the consolidation and restructuring happening right now, we have to build stronger filmmaking communities and find audiences. That’s why we’re also calling on our networks for donations of screening spaces, tax-deductible donations and other resources. This isn’t a one time thing - we’re building something that’s meant to last.
Big studios and streamers dominate because they have the resources. For short films, it’s even more uneven, if you don’t have the visibility of a million-dollar campaign, you’re fighting an uphill battle. That’s why this project matters. We want to champion the filmmakers who take risks, who create without corporate backing, and who make vital, urgent work. As an indie distributor, we’re trying to shift that balance of power, to support films that deserve recognition on their own artistic merit.
Whether or not these films end up winning awards, we’ll have built something sustainable, a model that allows the next wave of short filmmakers to compete on a more level playing field. We already have directors from our previous shorts working on new projects together. It’s creating a genuine pipeline for future work.
Bella: How did you choose the films in the line-up?
Celia: Switchboard is a home for strong, character-driven stories. We’re not really interested in abstract or purely conceptual work, our films are grounded in human stories. Each of these shorts features a unique voice, but together they reflect something universal — a shared humanity and a window into the world we live in today.
At first glance, these four films may seem an unexpected pairing, but together they form a cohesive whole. And the shared spirit of their creators has been just as important to us as the work itself.
I’ve honestly never seen four teams collaborate this generously. There’s total transparency and everyone shares their resources, networks and contacts. Every decision is made by committee. If even one person says no to a proposal – whether it’s about spending, partnerships, or outreach – we don’t move forward. Everything is a collective decision. It’s truly a team campaign.
Bella: Why does the industry need a shake-up?
Celia: Artists deserve more control over their own work. That’s been Switchboard’s vision from the start with a 50/50 profit share with our writers and filmmakers.
It’s harder than ever to make films, and the only way forward is together. The industry has to shift from competition to collaboration. We need to protect and uplift filmmakers, especially when the arts themselves are under increasing threat.
To be clear, this isn’t just altruism. Supporting filmmakers aligns with our goals — and our ambitions. We want to prove that doing good is good business – that treating artists fairly, sharing profits, and supporting creative risk-taking can actually lead to more success and sustainability.
Earlier this year, I was invited to join the Advisory Board of Switchboard Magazine and helped to announce it’s launch moderating a panel at the Impact Lounge at Sundance, in conversation with Celia and Adam Elliott, director of David Again, the first short film acquired by the platform. You can watch clips from that conversation and read about the mission to shakeup nonfiction distribution in my previous article.
Rat Rod directed by Jared Jakins and Carly Jakins
A haunted mechanic muses on his experiences as an immigrant in rural America as he resurrects cars.
Bella: How did the project come about?
Jared: In the early 90s, Jorge Ramirez moved from Mexico City to a small Mormon town in central Utah. Around that time, my family immigrated from South Africa to the same town. Over the years Jorge became a close friend of my father’s as they bonded over their love of motors. Jorge’s immigration story, in many ways, is not unique. He faced challenges that many others face as they look to put down roots in a new land. What really struck me about Jorge was his ability to talk so casually and openly about not just life in a new place, but also death. Once I heard some of his ghostly encounters in his workshop, I realized we had landed upon a formal framework to explore his personal history.
Carly: We’d been interested for a long time in Jorge’s experiences immigrating to the US, and we knew that Jorge had immense talent as a mechanic. His artistry in conjuring “rat rods” from discarded parts is impressive, period. But it wasn’t until Jared and I started considering that process as a beautiful analogy for the American dream, one that can at times feel haunted, that the film began to feel urgent. We knew we were making the film for our neighbors and local community, but also to join a chorus of voices speaking to a moment our nation is grappling with.
