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Source: Albuquerque Journal, N.迷你倉M.Jan. 17--A film about a New Mexico artist who digs cathedral-like caves has been nominated for best short-subject documentary by the Academy Awards.When "CaveDigger" producer/director Jeffrey Karoff began filming and following Ra Paulette while he carved underground basilicas into the sandstone cliffs near Taos, he wasn't even sure he had a movie."I thought there was compelling material, but I didn't know if it would come together structurally," he said in a telephone interview from his Los Angeles home. Karoff owns a second home in the Taos area."I would say this exceeds my expectations, but it wasn't even on my radar," he added. "Biography isn't necessarily that useful for documentaries. I'm following a person's life; it doesn't really have a form."Also Thursday, Santa Fe native Joshua Oppenheimer picked up an Oscar nomination for his film "The Act of Killing." The film was nominated in the documentary feature category.The controversial film, explores the Indonesian genocide of 1965-66 from the perspective of some of the men involved in the mass murders.During the two years, it is estimated that one- to three-million suspected communists were massacred by anti-communist death squads who were working for the Indonesian Army. One of the men followed is Anwar Congo, who is said to have killed 1,000 people.In "CaveDigger," the camera's nearly rhapsodic pans reveal clusters of skylights illuminating forms amid the play of shadow and light.The documentary follows Paulette's often troubled relationships with his patrons and the price he pays for obsessively digging his archaeological creations from the earth.The artist has dug 14 caves in New Mexico, all roughly within the same area of northern New Mexico. Patrons who have commissioned them have cut off nearly all his projects over artistic differences, many refusing to pay him.Paulette uses only hand tools -- a pickax and wheelbarrow strapped to his back -- and each project may take months or years to complete. His intuitive process creates arches, pillars, rooms, doorways, steps and benches with carving as detailed as a sacred shrine.Karoff learned that儲存倉he had received the nomination when he spotted it online after a sleepless night of drinking. Three months ago, the film was short-listed from a pool of 40 culled to eight. The five finalists were announced on Thursday."I had six or seven emails within the first minute," he said, "?? from family and friends saying congratulations."I just started calling people, texting people all night long. It was such a modest film. It was done by me and my cinematographer going out a few times."Karoff estimated the 39-minute documentary cost about $20,000, compared to $25-$100 million for feature films.He said he definitely plans to attend the Oscars on March 2.The nomination should help with recognition and financing on future films."The Academy is still the gold standard of recognition," Karoff said. "It gets me a meeting; it gets me a phone call; it gives me their stamp of approval."Paulette begins his work by choosing a mountainside comprised of Ojo Caliente sandstone, because it is malleable and stable. Born in Chicago, he has no background as a sculptor or an artist. According to his website, Paulette grew up in Indiana. He left school to join the Navy, then took jobs as a mailman, night watchman, janitor and auditorium attendant in San Francisco and Los Angeles.He hitchhiked around the country, eventually landing in Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains. Years spent in a cabin without electricity or running water convinced him he was made for rural life. He worked as a farm laborer, then moved to New Mexico in 1977, then to Dixon in 1985, becoming a "human backhoe" digging wells, outhouses and rock retaining walls.His manual labor skills transitioned into his cave-digging projects. Paulette breaks down the movements into their simplest forms, reassembling them into patterns he calls "the dance of digging." He sees his creations as regal wilderness sanctuaries created to help people connect with their deepest emotions."CaveDigger" premiered in Santa Fe last July.Copyright: ___ (c)2014 the Albuquerque Journal (Albuquerque, N.M.) Visit the Albuquerque Journal (Albuquerque, N.M.) at .abqjournal.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉最平