The beginning of this month, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released the 2015 Oscar shortlist for best documentary-feature nomination. Every year, an early voting round takes place to narrow down the eligible entries to a more manageable list; a list that Academy members will use in order to make their nominations for the five finalists. The official five nominations will be released on January 15, 2015 and presented, along with the winner at The Academy Awards ceremony on February 22, 2015.
This year there were 134 eligible documentaries. The early voting round narrowed the list down to 15. The Variety mentioned some omissions that they found surprising, especially Dinesh D’Souza and John Sullivan’s “America: Imagine the World Without Her.” Inclusions of obvious recognition were also mentioned, one of which is a documentary capturing the last few months of Roger Ebert’s life entitled “Life Itself,” directed by Steve James.
In an effort to help the Academy members in their endeavor to select only five, TheCelebrityCafe.com will shorten the docu shortlist to the top 10.
[new page= ‘Keep On Keepin’ On’]
10. Keep On Keepin’ On
Keep On Keepin’ On is an Absolute Clay Productions documentary directed by Alan Hicks, and produced by the award winning Quincy Jones. The film, about Justin Kauflin (a young blind piano player) and legendary Clark Terry, has already been recognized with four awards and one nomination. It covers a five year period, documenting Terry’s mentorship of Kauflin. You can read more about it on the film’s official website .
236 IMDB users have given Keep On Keepin’ On an average rating of 7.2 out of 10 stars.
[new page= ‘The Overnighters’]
9. The Overnighters
Mile End Films West presents The Overnighters, a film directed by Jesse Moss, who won a Sundance Film Festival award for it. It also garnered an additional three awards and two nominations. The movie’s official website describes it as showcasing the humanitarian efforts of one Williston, North Dakota pastor to aid migrant workers unable to find work or shelter. Chasing the American Dream to the oil fields of North Dakota, many men arrived to find there were not enough positions for them, and the tiny town of Williston was not big enough to house the lot of them. That’s when pastor, Jay Reinke, decided to open his Lutheran church up to them as a place to sleep. It just didn’t go over very well with the congregation or townspeople as a whole.
The Overnighters has so far received an average rating of 7.6 out of 10 stars from 239 IMDB users.
[new page= ‘Finding Vivian Maier’]
8. Finding Vivian Maier
John Maloof and Charlie Siskel directed this award winning documentary about a woman who had the discreet hobby of photography. Years after the fact, her stockpile of 100,000 plus photographs were discovered by John Maloof, himself. Ravine Pictures presents Finding Vivian Maier, a film that according to its website reveals Maier in a way she was not previously know, as well as her work, which “is part of a renaissance in interest in the art of Street Photography.”
This award winning film received an average rating of 7.7 stars out of 10 from 2,430 IMDB users. The comparative number of reviewers speaks to Finding Vivan Maier’s prospects as an official nomination.
[new page= ‘Last Days in Vietnam’]
7. Last Days in Vietnam
Last Days in Vietnam is a Moxie Firecracker Films production. Directed by Primetime Emmy Award winner Rory Kennedy, Last Days in Vietnam documents America’s withdrawal from South Vietnam, and the efforts of some to save the lives of as many South Vietnamese people as possible. The official website provides a detailed description, including the provocation for the unsanctioned evacuation operations: “some Americans begin to consider the certain imprisonment and possible death of their South Vietnamese allies, co-workers, and friends.”
Although only 168 people reviewed Last Days in Vietnam on IMDB, they rated it with an average of 7.9 out of 10 stars. This seems consistent with the fact that it has so far won two awards, and been nominated for a third.
[new page= ‘The Salt of the Earth’]
6. The Salt of the Earth
Winner of three awards, including one from the Cannes Film Festival, The Salt of the Earth is a tapestry of the elegant and poignant work of photographer Sebastião Salgado presented by Decia Films. Directed by Academy Award nominee Wim Wenders, and Salgado’s son, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, The Salt of the Earth seeks to display Salgado’s photographic legacy while simultaneously capturing the genius at work on his latest project, a tribute to Earth’s beautiful sprawling landscapes.
In a review by Variety, Wenders’ cinematography in The Salt of the Earth is praised. “Wenders hit upon an exceptionally clever, cinematic way of filming Sebastiao discussing his work, by projecting the master’s photographs onto a semi-transparent mirror that allows audiences to see both image and man.”
Averaging 8.1 out of 10 stars from 858 IMDB users, The Salt of the Earth is worthy of the nomination simply for its astounding artistic achievement.
[new page= ‘Life Itself’]
5. Life Itself
Life Itself is a Kartemquin Film about the life and career of movie critic Roget Ebert. As the movie’s website points out, he was not just a critic of movies, but he also voiced his opinions on social issues and grew to become one of the country’s most influential commentators. This award winning documentary, directed by Steve James, is based on his memoirs published under the same name, and follows Ebert throughout the last few months of his life.
It would seem fitting, with Ebert’s interest in and support of independent film, that Life Itself should be nominated for an Oscar. 2,963 IMDB users seem to agree, considering they gave it an average rating of 8.1 out of 10 stars.
[new page= ‘CITIZENFOUR’]
4. CITIZENFOUR
CITIZENFOUR, a Praxis Films documentary, has received four nominations so far, and was directed by Academy Award winning and Emmy nominated Laura Poitras. It is a film exposing a story of intrigue and espionage by America on her own people. It includes journalist Glenn Greenwald and ex-National Security Agency (NSA) analyst Edward Snowden. Poitras, Greenwald, and Snowden work together to unveil illegal invasions of privacy committed by the NSA. CITIZENFOUR, Snowden’s code name when he first contacted Poitras, also has its own website. You can read more about the film there, including the following statement, which made me consider the benefits of living off the grid:
“CITIZENFOUR not only shows you the dangers of governmental surveillance—it makes you feel them. After seeing the film, you will never think the same way about your phone, email, credit card, web browser, or profile, ever again.”
Reigning in an average of 8.2 out of 10 stars from 1,099 IMDB users, CITIZENFOUR is a film worth watching whether it receives one of the five nomination spots or not.
[new page= ‘The Internet’s Own Boy’]
3. The Internet’s Own Boy
Luminant Media presents director/producer Brian Knappenberger’s The Internet’s Own Boy, a documentary profiling Aaron Swartz, co-founder of Reddit. The Daily Dot refers to Aaron as “a prominent social and political activist,” who was “campaigning for internet freedom before his untimely passing.” Swartz was only 26 when he committed suicide in the face of a fervent prosecution for computer hacking.
According the funding website Kickstarter, The Internet’s Own Boy “explores Aaron’s arrest, the prosecution’s tactics in bringing the case to trial through the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the CFAA, and the impact a seemingly small hacking gesture had on Aaron’s life and the future of information access on the internet.” So, what is the future? The case of US vs Swartz brought to light the problem of having a blanket punishment for a type of crime that can have positive, neutral, or negative motivation. It could have been a precedent setting case. The Internet’s Own Boy brings to light this case, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), and its impact.
Having won two awards, and received a nomination for the Sundance Film Festival award, The Internet’s Own Boy has proven itself worthy of the 8.2 out of 10 star rating it garnered from the 2,656 IMDB users that reviewed it.
[new page= ‘Jodorowsky’s Dune’]
2. Jodorowsky’s Dune
City Film’s Jodorowsky’s Dune chronicles director Alejandro Jodorowsky’s attempt at adapting the novel Dune into a feature film in the 1970s; an attempt that by most standards failed. According to the movie’s website, Jodorowsky had an intricate plan to produce the first truly epic sci-fi film. The fact that he was unable to get past the storyboard phase could be viewed as a disappointment, but to director/producer Frank Pavich, the focus should not be on what didn’t happen. The focus should be on Jodorowsky’s vision and creative dream. After all, it laid the ground work for future sci-fi films such as Star Wars and Alien.
Jodorowsky’s Dune has won six awards and three nominations, including a nomination for the Cannes Film Festival award. 6,258 IMDB users gave the documentary an average of 8.2 out of 10 stars. Again, the sheer number of user reviews lends legitimacy to this film’s claim to an official nomination.
[new page= ‘Virunga’]
1. Virunga
Virunga is a documentary about the eastern Congo national park by the same name. Virunga National Park is important for several reasons. It is home to a large variety of species, including the endangered mountain gorillas. Grain Media and director Orlando von Einsiedel present the struggles of the Virunga National Park rangers in their attempt to protect the park from militia and poachers. Virunga not only shows the regular obstacles faced by the rangers, but also unexpectedly catches them amidst the commencement of a new rebel militia.
The Daily Dot points out that Virunga National Park is one of the oldest national parks in Africa. It also explains that Leonardo DiCaprio received co-producer credit for his assistance in promoting the film. Virunga’s website describes it as “A powerful combination of investigative journalism and nature documentary,” as well as “the incredible true story of a group of courageous people risking their lives to build a better future in a part of Africa the world’s forgotten, and a gripping exposé of the realities of life in the Congo.”
In conjunction with the eleven awards it has already won and an additional six nominations, it received the highest IMDB user rating thus far: 8.6 out of 10 stars. However, the rating was averaged from the reviews of only 710 users. Perhaps Virunga’s poignant cause and startling reality will assist it in not only gaining one of the coveted five nomination spots, but win the Oscar for best documentary-feature.