The documentary “Armed Only With a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud” has received an Oscar nomination for Documentary Short Film, announced on January 22, 2026. The nomination arrives nearly four years after the death of Renaud, an Arkansas documentarian killed in March 2022 while covering the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The film, released by HBO in October, is directed by Brent Renaud and his brother, Craig Renaud, and draws upon their extensive body of work documenting humanitarian crises. It is nominated alongside “All the Empty Rooms,” “Children No More: Were and Are Gone,” “The Devil Is Busy” and “Perfectly a Strangeness” in the category.
Iranian-American filmmaker Andy Sarjahani, who contributed to the documentary as a cinematographer, also received an Oscar nomination in 2024 for his work on “The Barber of Little Rock,” a film about Little Rock resident Arlo Washington.
The 98th Academy Awards ceremony, where the winner will be announced, is scheduled for March 15 and will be hosted by Conan O’Brien. According to a report published February 23, 2026, the Oscar run is proving bittersweet for Craig Renaud and friends of the late journalist.
