We now know there are officially 201 films in contention for Best Documentary Feature. As expected this past month, The Perfect Neighbor dominated the Critics Choice Documentary Awards with five wins, including Best Documentary Feature. Time will tell if it repeats the cursed fate of many CCDA winners and fails to land an Oscar nomination (we’ll find out if it’s shortlisted on December 16), especially given the Academy’s aversion to archival documentaries.
Elsewhere this month, Apocalypse in the Tropics led the nominations from the International Documentary Association, while Come See Me in the Good Light earned the most Cinema Eye Honors nods. 2000 Meters to Andriivka, Cover-Up, and Seeds were close behind with CEH, so they make up my top five this month. All eyes now turn to the Academy’s unveiling of the 15 films that make it onto their final shortlist.
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE PREDICTIONS:
1. 2000 Meters to Andriivka (PBS Distribution) – CCA, CEH, Gotham
2. Apocalypse in the Tropics (Netflix) – CCA, IDA
3. Cover-Up (Netflix) – CCA, CEH, IDA Special Mention
4. Seeds (TBD) – CEH, IDA
5. Come See Me in the Good Light (Apple Original Films) – CEH, IDA Special Mention
IN CONTENTION
Afternoons of Solitude (TBD) – CEH, EFA
The Alabama Solution (HBO Max) – CCA
Come See Me in the Good Light (Apple Original Films) – IDA Special Mention
Deaf President Now! (Apple Original Films) – CCA
The Eyes of Ghana (Higher Ground Productions)
Mr. Nobody Against Putin (ZDF/Arte)
My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay (HBO Max)
My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow (TBD) – Gotham
Orwell: 2+2=5 (NEON) – CCA
The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix) – CCA, Gotham
Predators (MTV Documentary Films)
Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk (Kino Lorber) – CEH, Gotham
Riefenstahl (Kino Lorber) – CCA, EFA
The Tale of Silyan (National Geographic) – CCA, IDA
