During a ten-year period when she lost the power of speech for long stretches , her work changed : " I was very prolific with my drawing , " Alper says , " and I think that I was telling more complete stories — maybe because I so desperately was trying to communicate . " While studying at Tom Wudl Studio in the 2010s , Alper caught the attention of B. J. Dockweiler , a fellow painter and classmate . Dockweiler was fascinated by Alper 's work and disposition . Dockweiler 's husband , Frank Stiefel , was equally intrigued when he met Alper at a group show and saw some of her pieces . He talked with Alper occasionally , as they attended some of the same art openings . He asked if he could film her as she worked on one of her newest pieces : a monumental bust of her therapist , Shoshana Gerson . After a few months of filming , Stiefel interviewed Alper on camera ; five more interviews followed , and Alper 's story emerged . The film , '' Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405 '' , premiered at the Austin Film Festival in 2016 , where it won the Jury Award and the Audience Award in the " Documentary Short " category . The Jury Award qualified the film for an Academy Award nomination . At the 90th Academy Awards in 2018 , it won the Academy Award for Best Documentary ( Short Subject )
90th Academy Awards
90th Academy Awards
Mindy Alper