With the unveiling of the Academy’s shortlists, we now know the final 15 films in contention for Best Documentary. The biggest snub was dealt to Kokomo City, which had earned nominations from major awards like Critics Choice Awards, Cinema Eye Honors, and the Independent Spirit Awards. Also absent was Frederick Wiseman’s four-hour epic Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros, which scored a win with the New York Film Critics Circle.
After scooping five wins at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie avoided the same fate of last year’s CCDA winner Good Night Oppy and landed on the Academy’s shortlist. With over a dozen wins from the critics groups, it’s now looking fairly strong to earn an Oscar nomination too.
20 Days in Mariupol and Four Daughters scored dual mentions in the Oscars shortlists, as they were both submissions for Best International Feature Film from Ukraine and Tunisia, respectively. I think their chances for nominations are stronger here in the documentary category, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see at least one of these films earn nods in both categories a la Flee in 2021.
The Producers Guild of America also weighed in with their nominations for Documentary Motion Pictures, which gave a great boost to American Symphony, Beyond Utopia, and 20 Days in Mariupol. The other four films to land a nod from PGA did not make the Academy’s shortlist.
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE PREDICTIONS:
1. American Symphony (Netflix) – CCA, PGA
2. Beyond Utopia (Roadside Attractions) – CCA, PGA
3. 20 Days in Mariupol (PBS) – CCA, CEH, PGA
4. Four Daughters (Jour2Fête) – CEH
5. Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie (Apple Original Films) – CCA, CEH
IN CONTENTION
Apolonia, Apolonia (CAT & Docs) – IDA
Bobi Wine: The People’s President – IDA
Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy (Zeitgeist Films)
The Eternal Memory (MTV Documentary Films) – CCA, CEH
Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project (HBO Documentary Films) – CEH, IDA
In the Rearview (Film Movement)
Stamped from the Beginning (Netflix) – CCA
A Still Small Voice (Abramorama)
32 Sounds (Abramorama)
To Kill a Tiger (National Film Board of Canada)