Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers pose with the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film for The Last Repair Shop in the Oscars photo room at the 96th Academy Awards in Hollywood, on March 10.The 33-year-old and his co-director Kris Bowers won the best short documentary trophy for “The Last Repair Shop” at a star-studded ceremony Sunday that included a spirited performance of the “Barbie” power ballad “I’m Just Ken” by Canadian actor Ryan Gosling.
“L.A. is one of the last cities in America to give public school students free and freely repaired instruments. We need to fix that because musical education isn’t just about creating incredible musicians, it’s about creating incredible humans,” Bowers said during the acceptance speech. Proudfoot and Bowers were joined on stage by Porché Brinker, an 11-year-old violinist who appears in the film.
Proudfoot added that he and the film’s crew planned to celebrate at Vanity Fair’s Oscars after-party. He also planned to return to Halifax to celebrate in his hometown.The evening also saw Gosling take the stage to perform the Oscar-nominated song “I’m Just Ken.”