THE OSCARS

Having battled repeated attempts over the years to be banished to a nonbroadcast portion of the awards, the continuing surge in popularity of feature documentaries would seem to bode well for documentary shorts as well.

Winners Robert Hudson and Bobby Houston were recognized for their work on "Mighty Times: The Children's March." The film, a follow-up to their previous Oscar-nominated short, "Mighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa Parks," tells the story of a group of schoolchildren in Birmingham, Ala., in 1963 who face down dogs, fire hoses and angry opposition to challenge segregation in their town. The duo utilized period music, archival footage and reenactments.

While accepting his award, Hudson said, "I have been sitting in the bathtub since I was 8 years old practicing this Oscar speech." He then added, "Bob and I live together and we work together. If you're watching this on TV, don't try that at home."

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Among the other nominees in this year's particularly strong group was Gerardine Wurzburg's "Autism Is a World," Hanna Polak and Andrzej Celinski's "The Children of Leningradsky," Hubert Davis and Erin Faith Young's "Hardwood," and Steve Kalafer and Oren Jacoby's "Sister Rose's Passion."