At first blush, the Academy seems to have nailed down some pretty impressive documentaries in their field of 15 shortlisted selections. Audience favorites “Buck” and “Bill Cunningham New York” have made the list, the mesmerizing 3-D dance film “Pina”, also Germany’s submission for Best Foreign Language Film, survived the first wave of cuts, while critically acclaimed films “Project Nim”, “Hell And Back Again”, “If A Tree Falls…” and “Paradise Lost 3″ all remain in line for a well-deserved Oscar nod.
And yet, as always, it is what is not here which is the real news. Werner Herzog’s intense and straightforward look at the death penalty, “Into The Abyss” is finished, along with “Hoop Dreams” director Steve James’ “The Interrupters”, the best reviewed film of 2011, with a 99% TomatoMeter rating.
Elsewhere…racing doc and one-time perceived frontrunner “Senna” has run out of gas, Frederick Wiseman’s “Crazy Horse” never left the gate, Morgan Spurlock’s “POM Wonderful Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold” was likely viewed as too cute and quaint, while Errol Morris’ fascinating, albeit lighter fare, “Tabloid” is also missing in action.
The interesting shortlisted documentaries are listed in the official Academy press release after the cut:
15 Documentary Features Advance in 2011 Oscar® Race
Beverly Hills, CA (November 18, 2011) – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 15 films in the Documentary Feature category will advance in the voting process for the 84th Academy Awards®. One hundred twenty-four pictures had originally qualified in the category.
The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production company:
- “Battle for Brooklyn” (RUMUR Inc.)
- “Bill Cunningham New York” (First Thought Films)
- “Buck” (Cedar Creek Productions)
- “Hell and Back Again” (Roast Beef Productions Limited)
- “If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front” (Marshall Curry Productions, LLC)
- “Jane’s Journey” (NEOS Film GmbH & Co. KG)
- “The Loving Story” (Augusta Films)
- “Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory” (@radical.media)
- “Pina” (Neue Road Movies GmbH)
- “Project Nim” (Red Box Films)
- “Semper Fi: Always Faithful” (Tied to the Tracks Films, Inc.)
- “Sing Your Song” (S2BN Belafonte Productions, LLC)
- “Undefeated” (Spitfire Pictures)
- “Under Fire: Journalists in Combat” (JUF Pictures, Inc.)
- “We Were Here” (Weissman Projects, LLC)
The Documentary Branch Screening Committee viewed all the eligible documentaries for the preliminary round of voting. Documentary Branch members will now select the five nominees from among the 15 titles on the shortlist.
The 84th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 24, 2012, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
What are you choices, what got snubbed, and what looks to be the frontrunner?
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Tags: Best Documentary Feature, Bill Cunningham New York, Buck, Hell And Back Again, If A Tree Falls, Oscar hopefuls, oscars 2012, Pina, Project Nim, We Were Here
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BOO! No Tabloid … but I guess it just wasn’t handled seriously enough to make the cut. It felt much more like a sleazy romp of guilty pleasure than an informative film … but that is what made it so good.
I have seen too few of these … Kansas City doesn’t get many of them and I will have to check some of these websites to see when/how they’ll be available to me here.
I did see Buck (loved it); Bill Cunningham (enjoyed it) and If a Tree Falls. I always see these films after they’ve been released for home vieweing and so I see very few of them before the BIG Oscar night.
Was Cave of Forgotten Dreams a 2010 film? I guess I am uncertain of that one …
And I was not overjoyed with POM Wonderful. Yawn. Senna not making the cut does surprise me somewhat, though.
I see now that Caves was released in NYC in November of 2010
It was actually at a festival in 2010…it’s a 2011 release, they just didn’t shortlist it.
Am I the only person excited by this shortlist?
If a Tree Falls is an excellent documentary. Project Nim is my #3 movie of the year (How to Die in Oregon is #2 and my top doc but that almost def wasn’t eligible). Buck and Bill Cunningham are excellent docs as well. I haven’t seen The Interrupters but otherwise I think they hit most/all of the best docs I saw this year.
I thought Cave, Elmo, and Tabloid were great, but necessary nominations. Project Nim is the necessary one, and hopefully the eventual winner. And COME ON to those who say “Page One” I just saw that and thought it was a major disappointment. Squandered opportunity. Btw it wouldn’t let me log in w Twitter but I’m @BrandonIsaacson
Senna didn’t qualify because 99% of the film is old footage to retell his story which is against the rules of the Doc category.
That hurt it a lot, yes.