Oscar News: 15 Documentary Finalists. Major Snubs Are Mandatory.
Friday, November 18, 2011 at 5:46PM 
The Academy have announced their finalists in the Best Documentary Oscar category. Guess what isn't it the running anymore: Senna, The Interrupters, Page One: Inside the New York Times, and The Carrier! And that's just the biggies off the top of my head without research. Amir was just pontificating about Senna's Oscar hopes and he's hardly that movies only über fan. People will be up in arms. I suppose it wouldn't be the Best Documentary Feature, that storied and oft-controversial category, without these anger-making decisions. Remember when Grizzly Man got the boot? I know, right? Unthinkable though that still is...
The finalists are...
- Battle for Brooklyn (RUMER 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 highest profile films here are Buck, Pina (also eligible in Foreign Film), Project Nim, and Paradise Lose 3: Purgatory... but that's almost a whole shortlist in and of itself so expect more drama ahead.
Who are you rooting for and which snub makes you crazazy?
Oscars (11), Pina, Project NIM, Senna, documentaries
Reader Comments (26)
Was INTO THE ABYSS not eligible?
I was rooting hard for Senna and We Were Here so I have a weird mixed feeling now.. Hope We Were Here wins this.
No Tabloid or Being Elmo?! Haven't seen the latter, but the former may be my favorite movie of the year so far.
And JOSÉ AND PILAR also is not on the list. :(
Maybe the people behind Senna can capitalize on the snub and get the editing nomination that it rightfully deserve.
Im totally rooting for "Paradise Lost (...)" even if the 3rd installement is a little redondant, it`s still one the most AMAZING film trilogie EVER!
Wow that's disappointing. You know you can't predict Oscars when FOUR of your five predictions (Senna, Interrupters, Page One and Into the Abyss) can't even make the shortlist.
Anyway, with Senna out, my horse in this race is now Project NIM.
Yay Gina! 'Sing Your Song' all the way
Senna out? Really?
I guess the Academy will found Pina too arty so I assume the frontrunner now is We Were Here (which is great).
Wow, it is really sad that they continue to ignore Herzog.
go finalist..
i just saw Project Nim trailer on youtube, amazing science project, and and saw WE Were Here too, good story..i want to find out what each all documentaries nomination are all about.
Not going to lie, I've only seen Bill Cunningham New York, and loved it, so I'll be happy if it makes it. Fascinating portrait.
I didn't think "Page One" was all that great, honestly. It was an entertaining enough hour and a half, but nothing particularly insightful or compelling.
Is it just me or did "Project Nim" not make much of a ripple Stateside? I live in the Washington, DC, area, and it was in and out of theaters here practically in the blink of an eye.
That's not to say that it's not good. You'd just think that a new documentary from the director of "Man on Wire" would have had a little more buzz. I look forward to seeing it on DVD.
I'm really happy for Battle for Brooklyn purely for political reasons. It's fantastic exposure for an important issue.
No SENNA? That's absurd! Let's hope it could manage a Best Editing nomination à la HOOP DREAMS
OMG ”Undefeated“ made it!!!! That "Senna" snub is really stupid! It should be in top 5.
Last year, if I remember correctly, all five Best Doc nominees had a RT score better than 95%. In that respect, I'm certainly not surprised to see Page One snubbed. Senna is more surprising, but not entirely due to the subject matter. Just sad, really.
I'll predict that the nominees come from this group of seven: Bill Cunningham, Hell and Back Again, Paradise Lost, Pina, Project Nim, Undefeated, and We Were Here. Not sure yet which five I'll be picking-- maybe Paradise Lost 3 and Undefeated will be left off due to the sequel factor and the subject matter, respectively?
I haven't seen SENNA or TABLOID, so I can't comment on those snubs. PAGE ONE was good, and it's disappointing it's been ruled out this early, but it'd have to be a weak field for it to have a chance of winning. Personally, I'm just happy that to of the best films of the year - BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK and PROJECT NIM (which I actually liked better than MAN ON WIRE) - are still in the running. I hope they both get nominations, and one of them goes all the way to the win.
I wanted Tabloid; Beats, Rhymes and Life; and Senna to get nominated, so I'm bummed. I also liked Project Nim more than Man on Wire. It's a great movie. I still think about it months later. Don't know the other top-mentions yet, but I look forward to seeing Buck, Bill Cunningham's New York, Paradise Lost 3, Pina and We Were Here.
I'm not surprised it isn't in the mix, but I had the slightest bit of hope that "The ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye" would pull a "Dogtooth" and get some recognition. Was it even elegible?
pony -- wasn't it too old?
I hope "Bill Cunningham New York" gets a nomination and wins. That film is aces.
I'm disappointed most of all for "Dragonslayer". Oh well.
NAT -- I don't think so... it won the Teddy for best documentary in Berlin this year. It's old as in February 2011 old, but not really old. Btw you didn't mention who you're rooting for. Any favorites?
Congratulation to the finalist... by the way why Justin Beiber is not on the list?