Documentary Feature Film
Nominees:
| “20 Days in Mariupol” |
| “32 Sounds” |
| “American Symphony” |
| “Apolonia, Apolonia” |
| “Beyond Utopia” |
| “Bobi Wine: The People’s President” |
| “Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy” |
| “The Eternal Memory” |
| “Four Daughters” |
| “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project” |
| “In the Rearview” |
| “Stamped from the Beginning” |
| “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” |
| “A Still Small Voice” |
| “To Kill a Tiger” |
Per the Academy’s press release:
15 films will advance in the Documentary Feature Film category for the 96th Academy Awards. 167 films were eligible in the category. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
Each shortlist is determined by members of that corresponding branch, except for International Feature Film and Live Action Short Film. (Members from all branches are invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must meet a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.)
The nominations for the 96th Oscars will be announced on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024, while the Oscars ceremony will be held on Sunday, March 10, 2024 at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.
OSCAR NOMINATION PREDICTIONS
“20 Days In Mariupol”
PBS Distribution
“American Symphony”
Netflix
“Beyond Utopia”
Roadside Attractions
“Four Daughters”
Kino Lorber
“Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie”
Apple Original Films
WHY I CHOSE THOSE FIVE?
Last year, “Navalny” was the documentary that stood out as the front-runner for the Best Documentary Feature category, and, lo and behold, it ended up winning the whole thing. This year, a few documentaries are sticking out.
“20 Days In Mariupol” is one of the only films I’ve seen in the batch. A timely look at the current war in Ukraine, it’s this year’s “behind enemy lines” type of documentary that feels like you’re in the front row of something you’d otherwise hear about secondhand. That’s also what “Beyond Utopia” appears to be, showing North Koreans fleeing the country and offering a POV of a country we’ve never had access to.
Initially, I had wondered if “Little Richard: I Am Everything” would make the shortlist because the Academy loves musical documentaries, with films like “Searching for Sugar Man” and “20 Feet From Stardom” winning previously. However, with “Little Richard” missing, I feel like “American Symphony” could take the musical documentary spot, as it focuses on a previous Oscar winner, Jon Batiste (“Soul”), as he composes a symphony alongside his wife, who is undergoing cancer treatment. A heart-warming, musical documentary sounds like something special.
“Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” has got to be the odds-on favorite for not only getting a nomination but likely to win the whole damn thing. Michael J. Fox is such a beloved Hollywood figure that it seems farfetched that the Academy will shy away from this one. It’s also winning all the critic’s awards, which should work in its favor.
My last pick is “Four Daughters,” in which I stuck a flag early. There’s something about the description, the trailer, and even the poster that screams Academy Award-nominated documentary. Then, it started winning awards, and I felt justified in my choice. Suppose I were to rattle off a few replacements. In that case, I’d suggest “The Eternal Memory” because of its sentimental subject matter, depicting a man dealing with Alzheimer’s disease alongside his wife, “Bobi Wine: The People’s President,” because it just won the IDA Documentary awards and seems to highlight a character that could draw some attention, and “32 Sounds,” because it feels just different enough to set it apart from the crowd.
20 Days in Mariupol
Michelle Mizner, Derl McCrudden, Raney Aronson, & Mstyslav Chernov
July 14, 2023
Directed by Mstyslav Chernov
Produced by Raney Aronson, Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, and Derl McCrudden
PBS Distribution
Synopsis: As the Russian invasion begins, a team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol struggle to continue their work documenting the war’s atrocities.
32 Sounds
Josh Penn, Thomas O. Kriegsmann, & Sam Green
April 28, 2023
Directed by Sam Green
Produced by Josh Penn and Thomas O. Kriegsmann
Abramorama
Synopsis: Explores the elemental phenomenon of sound and its power to bend time, cross borders, and profoundly shape our perception of the world around us.
American Symphony
Matthew Heineman, Lauren Domino, & Joedan Okun
November 24, 2023
Directed by Matthew Heineman
Produced by Matthew Heineman, Lauren Domino, and Joedan Okun
Netflix
Synopsis: In this deeply intimate documentary, musician Jon Batiste attempts to compose a symphony as his wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, undergoes cancer treatment.
Apolonia, Apolonia
Sidsel Lønvig Siersted & Lea Glob
June 8, 2023
Directed by Lea Glob
Produced by Sidsel Lønvig Siersted
Staron Film
Synopsis: The talented Apolonia grows up seeking her place in the art world while grappling with the agonies and joys of womanhood and relationships in a world dominated by patriarchy, capitalism, and war.
Beyond Utopia
Jana Edelbaum, Rachel Cohen, Sue Mi Terry, & Madeleine Gavin
October 23, 2023
Directed by Madeleine Gavin
Produced by Jana Edelbaum, Rachel Cohen, and Sue Mi Terry
Roadside Attractions
Synopsis: The story of several families as they attempt to escape oppression in North Korea, revealing a world most of us have never seen.
Bobi Wine: The People’s President
Christopher Sharp, Moses Bwayo, & John Battsek
July 28, 2023
Directed by Christopher Sharp and Moses Bwayo
Produced by Christopher Sharp and John Battsek
National Geographic Documentary Films
Synopsis: Follows Ugandan opposition leader, activist and musical star Bobi Wine. He used his music to fight the regime led by Yoweri Museveni, the person who led the country for 35 years.
Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy
Nancy Buirski, Simon Kilmurry, & Susan Margolin
June 23, 2023
Directed by Nancy Buirski
Produced by Nancy Buirski, Simon Kilmurry, and Susan Margolin
Zeitgeist Films + Kino Lorber
Synopsis: Follows the behind-the-scenes odyssey to get Midnight Cowboy (1969) produced, as well as the tumultuous era in which the movie was released and embraced.
The Eternal Memory
Maite Alberdi, Juan de Dios LarraÃn, Pablo LarraÃn, & RocÃo Jadue
August 11, 2023
Directed by Maite Alberdi
Produced by Maite Alberdi, Juan de Dios LarraÃn, Pablo LarraÃn, and RocÃo Jadue
MTV Documentary Films
Synopsis: Augusto and Paulina have been together for 25 years. Eight years ago, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Both fear the day he no longer recognizes her.
Four Daughters
Kaouther Ben Hania & Nadim Cheikhrouha
October 27, 2023
Directed by Kaouther Ben Hania
Produced by Nadim Cheikhrouha
Kino Lorber
Synopsis: Between light and darkness stands Olfa, a Tunisian woman and the mother of four daughters. One day, her two older daughters disappear. Filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania invites professional actresses to fill in their absence.
Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project
Joe Brewster, Michele Stephenson, & Tommy Oliver
November 3, 2023
Directed by Joe Brewster and Michele Stephenson
Produced by Joe Brewster, Michele Stephenson, and Tommy Oliver
HBO Documentary Films
Synopsis: A look at the life of poet, Nikki Giovanni and the revolutionary historical periods through which she lived, from the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter.
In the Rearview
Piotr Grawender & Maciek Hamela
October 15, 2023
Directed by Maciek Hamela
Produced by Piotr Grawender and Maciek Hamela
Impakt Film
Synopsis: A Polish van traverses the roads of Ukraine. On board, the driver-director and evacuated people, following the Russian invasion. The vehicle becomes a fragile and temporary refuge, a zone of confidences of exiles.
Stamped from the Beginning
Alisa Payne, David Teague, & Roger Ross Williams
November 10, 2023
Directed by Roger Ross Williams
Produced by Alisa Payne, David Teague, and Roger Ross Williams
Netflix
Synopsis: A hybrid documentary/scripted feature based on Dr. Kendi’s National Book Award-winning “Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas.”
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
Davis Guggenheim, Annetta Marion, & Jonathan King
May 12, 2023
Directed by Davis Guggenheim
Produced by Davis Guggenheim, Annetta Marion, and Jonathan King
Apple Original Films
Synopsis: Follows the life of beloved actor and advocate Michael J. Fox, exploring his personal and professional triumphs and travails, and what happens when an incurable optimist confronts an incurable disease.
A Still Small Voice
Luke Lorentzen & Kellen Quinn
November 24, 2023
Directed by Luke Lorentzen
Produced by Luke Lorentzen and Kellen Quinn
Abramorama
Synopsis: An aspiring hospital chaplain begins a yearlong residency in spiritual care, only to discover that to successfully tend to her patients, she must look deep within herself.
To Kill a Tiger
Nisha Pahuja, David Oppenheim, & Cornelia Principe
October 20, 2023
Directed by Nisha Pahuja
Produced by Nisha Pahuja, David Oppenheim, and Cornelia Principe
Notice Pictures
Synopsis: In a small Indian village, Ranjit wakes up to find that his 13-year-old daughter has not returned from a family wedding. A few hours later, she’s found stumbling home. After being abducted into the woods, she was sexually assaulted by three men. Ranjit goes to the police, and the men are arrested. But Ranjit’s relief is short-lived, as the villagers and their leaders launch a sustained campaign to force the family to drop the charges. A cinematic documentary, To Kill a Tiger follows Ranjit’s uphill battle to find justice for his child. In India, where a rape is reported every 20 minutes and conviction rates are less than 30 percent, Ranjit’s decision to support his daughter is virtually unheard of. With tremendous access, we witness the emotional journey of an ordinary man facing extraordinary circumstances. A father whose love for his daughter forces a social reckoning that will reverberate for years to come.
