Docs About Elton John, Celine Dion, Christopher Reeve Notably Snubbed in Oscar Shortlist
Members of the Academy Documentary Branch sifted through 169 eligible nonfiction features to determine this year’s shortlist. The 15 selected films are beautifully crafted docs about interesting and important subjects. Ten docs that made the list premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, while the five remaining debuted at other top-tier festivals, including Berlin, Venice and Toronto.
“No Other Land,” about the resistance of Palestinian activists against forced displacement in the West Bank, won the best documentary prize at the Berlin International Film Festival and recently earned top accolades from the National Board of Review. The film does not have U.S. distribution. Brett Story and Stephen Maing’s “Union,” about a group of current and former Amazon workers attempting to unionize employees, premiered at Sundance. After successful screenings at 50 festivals worldwide, Story and Maing self-released “Union” via Level Ground this fall. Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev’s “Porcelain War” also debuted in Park City, where it won the Grand Jury prize for U.S. documentary. About porcelain artists whose lives are turned upside down by the war in Ukraine, the doc is being released via a service deal with Picturehouse.
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All three films tackle current events, which the branch appears to like. In the last two years, the Oscar for best feature doc went to Frontline’s “20 Days in Mariupol” and CNN Films/Warner Bros.’ “Navalny.” Despite the coveted wins, the major streaming services still won’t go near controversial political fare like Alexis Bloom’s shortlisted doc “The Bibi Files,” about Benjamin Netanyahu.
Another leading contender on this year’s shortlist is Mati Diop’s Berlinale Golden Bear-winning exploration of colonization, “Dahomey.” The film secured North American distribution via Mubi and secured a spot on the Oscar shortlist for international feature. Recent docs that garnered a spot on both prestigious lists are “20 Days in Mariupol,” “Four Daughters” and “Flee.”
While presumed favorites backed by Netflix, Apple TV+ and Max all failed to score a slot on the final Oscar ballot last year, there is a strong likelihood that at least one or two docs being released by a major streamer will be nominated in 2025.
Angela Patton and Natalie Rae’s “Daughters” (Netflix), Benjamin Ree’s “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” (Netflix), Carla Gutiérrez’s “Frida” (Amazon), Shiori Itō’s “Black Box Diaries” (MTV Documentary Films) and Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie’s “Sugarcane” (National Geographic Films) have each been adored by critics and audiences alike since their debuts at Sundance 12 months ago. Unlike last year, several of the directors with streamer backing on the shortlist are first-time filmmakers.
It’s anyone’s guess if Netflix’s “Will & Harper” will make the final cut. The road trip feature with Will Ferrell and former “Saturday Night Live” head writer Harper Steele shortly after her transition, the film tackles an important, timely subject. But the celeb factor could turn voters off.
Notable snubs included other celeb-focused fare including “I Am: Celine Dion,” “Elton John: Never Too Late,” “Martha” about lifestyle doyenne Martha Stewart, “Luther: Never Too Much” about Luther Vandross, “Music by John Williams” and Sundance hit “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story.”
“Mediha” and“Zurawski v Texas” were also snubbed. While each omission was disappointing, it wasn’t exactly surprising. “Mediha” and “Zurawski v Texas” lacked campaign funds and mainstream distribution, while “Super/Man” sold to Warner Bros. Discovery for a reported $15 million. That sale, as well as the celebrity focus and the populist nature of the film, made its omission somewhat predictable.
What is surprising is the number of doc filmmakers who spent thousands of dollars to qualify their films for Oscar consideration this year. While 169 is not an unusual number of eligible docs, it should be. In reality, 20, maybe 25 feature documentaries had a real shot at grabbing a spot on the shortlist. That’s not to say that the dozens of other documentaries were bad films. They just lacked a substantial festival launch, combined ample distribution, an awards budget and word of mouth. Like it or not, the Oscar race for best feature doc has never been a level playing field.
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