Interview With "All The Empty Rooms" Filmmaker Joshua Seftel

The Next Best Picture Podcast · Mar 6, 2026 · 22m

"All The Empty Rooms" is an American documentary short film, directed and produced by Joshua Seftel. It follows Steve Hartman and photographer Lou Bopp as they embark across the United States to memorialize the bedrooms of children killed in school shootings. The film had its world premiere at the 52nd Telluride Film Festival and received positive reviews. Netflix released it globally on its streaming service on December 1st. It has been nominated for the Best Documentary Short Film at the 98th Academy Awards. Seftel was kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about his experience and…