85th Academy Awards – 'Best Documentary Feature'

Apparently I am a terrible judge of documentaries.  I love them!  But I just can’t pick them correctly when it comes to the Oscars… I am 0 for 3… and here goes attempt 4.

For a complete look at eligibility and voting procedures, please take a look at last year’s post:  84^th Academy Awards – Best Documentary Feature.

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Nominations:

·         5 Broken Cameras

o   Emad Burnat – 1^st nomination.

o   Guy Davidi – 1^st nomination.

Synopsis:  A documentary on a Palestinian farmer's chronicle of his nonviolent resistance to the actions of the Israeli army.

The collaboration alone could win the Oscar.  Burnat is a Palestinian and Davidi is an Israeli; together they have one voice.

Won the Jerusalem Film Festival, Pusan International Film Festival, and the Sundance Film Festival (Direction of a Documentary).  Nominated for the Asia Pacific Screen Award, Sundance Film Festival (Grand Jury Price)

·         The Gatekeepers

o   Dror Moreh – 1^st nomination.

o   Philippa Kowarsky – 1^st nomination.

o   Estelle Fialon – 1^st nomination.

Synopsis:  A documentary featuring interviews with all surviving former heads of Shin Bet, the Israeli security agency whose activities and membership are closely held state secrets.

Won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award, National Board of Review (Top 5 Documentaries), Notional Society of Film Critics Award; 2nd place at the New York Film Critics’ Awards and nominated for the Producers Guild of America Award for Motion Picture Producer of the Year (Documentary).

·         How to Survive a Plague

o   David France – 1^st nomination.

o   Howard Gertler – 1^st nomination.

Synopsis:  The story of two coalitions -- ACT UP and TAG (Treatment Action Group) -- whose activism and innovation turned AIDS from a death sentence into a manageable condition.

Won the Boston Society of Film Critics Award, Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award, Gotham Award, and the New York Film Critics Circle Award.  Nominated for the GLAAD Media Award, Independent Spirit Award, Sundance Film Festival (Grand Jury Prize), and Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award.

·         The Invisible War

o   Kirby Dick – 2^nd nomination.  Previously nominated for Twist of Faith

o   Amy Ziering – 1^st nomination.

Synopsis:  An investigative documentary about the epidemic of rape of soldiers within the US military.

Won the Chicago Film Critics Association Award, Dallas International Film Festival, National Board of Review (Top 5 Docs), San Diego Film Critics Society Awards, Seattle International Film Festival, and the Sundance Film Festival.

Nominated for the Gotham Award, Independent Spirit Award, International Documentary Association Award, Online Film Critics Society Awards, Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards.

·         Searching for Sugar Man

o   Malik Bendjelloul

o   Simon Chinn

Synopsis:  Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock 'n' roller, Rodriguez.

Won the BAFTA Award, Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival, Athens International Film Festival, Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, Durban International Film Festival, International Documentary Association Award, Los Angeles Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, Moscow International Film Festival, National Board of Review (Top 5 Docs), Oslo Films from the South Festival, 2 awards at the Sundance Film Festival, Vancouver Film Critics Circle, 2^nd Place at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards and Tribeca Film Festival, and 3^rd Place as the National Society of Film Critics Awards.

Nominated for an American Cinema Editor Award, Black Reel Awards, Bodil Awards, British Independent Film Awards, Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, Guldbagge Award, Hamburg Film Festival, London Critics Circle Film Awards, Motion Picture Sound Editors Award, Producer of the Year at the Producers Guild of America Awards, Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards, Toronto Film Critics Association Awards, Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Award, and Writers Guild of America Award.

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My Two-Cents:

Listen, as I mentioned, I have no idea what I am talking about.  I haven’t been able to identify any trends in this category… so I have to go with my gut.

My gut says The Invisible War.  Rape in the military has become a hot topic as the department of defense begins talking about allowing women in combat alongside men… It’s the perfect timing for a documentary like this.

However, my gut is also telling me not to be foolish.  “Listen up!  You are over thinking this like you did last year!  And you remember what happened last year?  Yeah!  Your 5^th place pick won the Oscar!”

Ergg… gut… you are right… and this is why I am torn.  Searching for Sugar Man is a juggernaut.  And it just won the BAFTA, which is huge.  However, the winner of the BAFTA award as only gone on to win the Oscar 3 times:  1971, 1954, and 1949.  That said… the winner of the BAFTA Award has only been nominated for the Oscar 3 times… and take a wild guess which years?  That’s right!  1971, 1954, and 1941… the only times the BAFTA winner has also been nominated for the Oscar… they won the Oscar.

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Prediction: 

1.      Searching for Sugar Man

2.     The Invisible War

3.     5 Broken Cameras

4.     The Gatekeepers

5.     How to Survive a Plague