Documentary on Children Killed in School Shootings Wins Oscar

"All the Empty Rooms" memorializes victims through their untouched bedrooms

Mar. 16, 2026 at 2:49am

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The documentary film "All the Empty Rooms," which follows CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman and photographer Lou Bopp on a seven-year journey to document the toll of America's school shooting epidemic, won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short at the 98th Academy Awards. The film focuses on the bedrooms of four young children killed in school shootings, including Jackie Cazares, who was killed in the 2022 Uvalde, Texas shooting.

Why it matters

The film aims to make the tragedy of school shootings more real and personal for the public by showing the untouched bedrooms of the victims, highlighting their individual personalities and the lives cut short. It comes as gun violence has become the leading cause of death for children and teens in the U.S.

The details

Director Joshua Seftel accepted the Oscar alongside Hartman, producer Conall Jones, and Gloria Cazares, Jackie's mother. Cazares spoke about her daughter's room being "frozen in time" and appealed for an end to gun violence. Photographer Lou Bopp said the small details in the children's untouched rooms allowed them to uncover glimpses into who the victims were.

  • The documentary film "All the Empty Rooms" won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short at the 98th Academy Awards on March 16, 2026.
  • The film follows a seven-year journey by CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman and photographer Lou Bopp to document the toll of America's school shooting epidemic.

The players

Steve Hartman

A CBS News correspondent who co-created the documentary film "All the Empty Rooms."

Lou Bopp

A photographer who co-created the documentary film "All the Empty Rooms" with Steve Hartman.

Joshua Seftel

The director of the documentary film "All the Empty Rooms."

Conall Jones

The producer of the documentary film "All the Empty Rooms."

Gloria Cazares

The mother of Jackie Cazares, a 9-year-old victim of the 2022 Uvalde, Texas school shooting whose bedroom was featured in the documentary film "All the Empty Rooms."

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What they’re saying

“The four empty rooms in our film belonged to four young children who were all killed in school shootings: Hallie, Gracie, Dominic and Jackie.”

— Joshua Seftel, Director of "All the Empty Rooms"

“Since that day, her bedroom has been frozen in time. Jackie is more than just a headline. She is our light and our life. Gun violence is now the number one cause of death in kids and teens. We believe that if the world could see their empty bedrooms, we'd be a different America.”

— Gloria Cazares, Mother of Uvalde shooting victim Jackie Cazares

“Their personalities shone through in the smallest details of their untouched rooms — hair ties on a doorknob, a toothpaste tube left uncapped, a ripped ticket for a school event — allowing me to uncover glimpses as to who they were.”

— Lou Bopp, Photographer for "All the Empty Rooms"

What’s next

The film's creators hope that by highlighting the personal stories and untouched bedrooms of the school shooting victims, it will inspire action to end gun violence and prevent future tragedies.

The takeaway

This Oscar-winning documentary puts a deeply personal face on the devastating toll of America's school shooting epidemic, using the frozen-in-time bedrooms of young victims to make the tragedy more real and impactful for the public. It serves as a powerful call to action to address gun violence and protect children.