At the 92nd Academy Awards ceremony, Marshall Curry ’92 accepted the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short for The Neighbor's Window, a 20-minute film centered on a married woman and her obsessive observation of her 20-something neighbors across the street.

It was the first Oscar of Curry’s career after three prior nominations, including last year’s Best Documentary Short nod for A Night at the Garden. Curry’s previous films Street Fight and If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front received nominations for Best Documentary Feature in 2006 and 2012, respectively.

Accompanied on stage by his wife and producing partner, Elizabeth Martin, Curry dedicated the award to his mother, who grew up on a peach farm in South Carolina.

“She was the best storyteller I ever knew,” said Curry, who majored in religion at Swarthmore. “I learned from watching her that a well-told story is a powerful thing, and it can change the way we see the world, help us notice other people and care about them, and maybe love each other a little bit more.”