SFSU alumnus Conall Jones wins Oscar for documentary short ‘All the Empty Rooms’
Two other Gators, actor Delroy Lindo and sound professional Christopher Scarabosio, also received nominations
San Francisco State University alumnus Conall Jones (B.A., ’05) can now add “Oscar winner” to his résumé. The short documentary “All the Empty Rooms,” which Jones produced with director Joshua Seftel, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short at the 98th Academy Awards on March 15.
The 33-minute film delivers a deeply moving look at the aftermath of school shootings by focusing on the preserved bedrooms of children who were killed — spaces left untouched by grieving families as memorials to lives cut short. The documentary follows CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman and photographer Lou Bopp as they travel across the United States documenting these rooms and the families who maintain them.
For Jones, the Oscar’s meaning is simple: “The significance of the win, to me and our entire team, is simply that millions of more people will watch the film.”
That reach mattered more than a speech. On stage, he gave his time to Gloria Cazares, whose 9-year-old daughter was killed in the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, so she could speak directly to millions watching. “That’s the win for me,” he said.
Jones described the moment as both powerful and bittersweet, as families featured in the film celebrated together while grieving. “Many of them felt an urge to tell their child we won,” he said, “but that child is no longer here.”
At SFSU, Jones studied in the School of Cinema, where he developed the creative foundation that would lead him into documentary filmmaking and television production. His projects often highlight ordinary people navigating extraordinary circumstances — a storytelling approach that resonates in “All the Empty Rooms,” where intimate spaces become powerful symbols of loss and memory. His 2022 film “Stranger at the Gate,” about a Marine struggling with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), was also nominated for a Best Documentary Short Oscar.
“I discovered my love for documentary at SF State,” Jones said. “I remember taking Greta Snider’s class, I think it was Documentary 101, and [falling] in love with an art form that could have a real world impact. Since I finished that class, it’s been my main passion in life.”
An image from “All the Empty Rooms”
Jones’ Oscar win also highlights a strong year for SFSU alumni at the Academy Awards. Two other Gators were nominated this year: actor Delroy Lindo (B.A., ’04), who earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his performance in Ryan Coogler’s genre-bending horror film “Sinners,” and sound professional Christopher Scarabosio, nominated in the Best Sound category for his work on “One Battle After Another.”
Together, the nominations and Jones’ win underscore the continued impact of SFSU alumni across the film industry — from documentary storytelling to acting and technical craft — bringing powerful stories to audiences around the world.
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