One of the most powerful moments from the 2026 Oscars didn’t come from one of the many celebrity attendees.
All the Empty Rooms took home the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film during the Sunday, March 15, awards ceremony. Filmmakers Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones and broadcaster Steve Hartman took to the Oscars stage to accept the award, along with another special guest.
Seftel began his acceptance speech by thanking The Academy, Netflix, and the documentary short’s “incredibly compassionate filmmaking team.” He added, “The empty rooms in our film belong to four young children who were all killed in school shootings: Hallie, Gracie, Dominic, and Jackie.”
Seftel went on to pass the mic to Gloria Cazares, the mother of Jackie Cazares, whose late daughter was one of the film’s subjects. Dressed in a red gown, Gloria accessorized her Oscars outfit with a button featuring Jackie’s photo.
“My daughter, Jackie, was 9 years old when she was killed in Uvalde,” she stated, referring to the May 2022 school shooting at the Robb Elementary School that resulted in the deaths of 19 students and two teachers. “Since that day, her bedroom has been frozen in time.”
Gloria continued, “Jackie is more than just a headline. She is our light and our life. Gun violence is now the No. 1 cause of death in kids and teens. We believe that if the world could see their empty bedrooms, we’d be a different America. Thank you.”
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Gloria received much applause for her comments. Seftel gave her an emotional hug before the group walked offstage.
All the Empty Rooms won the Oscar over documentary short films such as Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud, Children No More: Were and are Gone, The Devil Is Busy, and Perfectly a Strangeness. Released in August 2025, All the Empty Rooms is currently streaming on Netflix.
In a December 2025 article for Business Insider, Gloria shared that she and her husband, Javier, have kept Jackie’s room just as it was on the day of her death. “We never thought of changing it because it pays tribute to the memory of our bright, funny little girl,” she told the outlet.
She added, “Three and a half years on, grief is part of me now. Some days you can just carry it with you, and there are other days when it just knocks the wind out of you. The days when I talk about her and share her personality and our deep love for her help a little bit with the ache in my heart. Meanwhile, whenever Javier and I go to her bedroom, our eyes settle on Jackie’s comforter. She wanted to visit Paris when she was older. We might have taken the trip as a graduation gift for her.”
Ahead of Sunday’s awards show, Gloria shared her excitement about representing her daughter at the Oscars via Instagram. “Jackie is heading to the Academy Awards 
,” she captioned a snap of a sticker featuring Jackie’s photo and name.
All the Empty Rooms, Now Streaming, Netflix
98th Academy Awards, Sunday, March 15, 7/6c, ABC
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