Documentary Feature Film
Nominees:
“The Bibi Files” (JOLT)
“Black Box Diaries” (MTV Documentary Films)
“Dahomey” (MUBI)
“Daughters” (Netflix)
“Eno” (Film First Co)
“Frida” (Amazon MGM Studios)
“Hollywoodgate” (Fourth Act Film)
“No Other Land” (mTuckman Media)
“Porcelain War” (Picturehouse)
“Queendom” (Greenwich Entertainment)
“The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” (Netflix)
“Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat” (Kino Lorber)
“Sugarcane” (National Geographic Documentary Films)
“Union” (Level Ground Productions)
“Will & Harper” (Netflix)
Per the Academy’s press release:
Fifteen films will advance in the Documentary Feature Film category for the 97th Academy Awards. One hundred sixty-nine films were eligible in the category. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
Nominations voting begins on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, and concludes on Sunday, January 12, 2025. Nominations for the 97th Academy Awards will be announced on Friday, January 17, 2025. The 97th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC, streamed live on Hulu and airs live in more than 200 territories worldwide.
OSCAR NOMINATION PREDICTIONS
“Black Box Diaries” • MTV Documentary Films | Paramount+
Shiori Ito | Director
Eric Nyari, Hanna Aqvilin, Shiori Ito | Producers
“Dahomey” • MUBI
Mati Diop | Director
Eve Robin, Judith Lou Lévy, Mati Diop | Producers
“No Other Land” • mTuckman Media
Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor | Directors
Fabien Greenberg, Bård Kjøge Rønning | Producers
“The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” • Netflix
Benjamin Ree | Director
Ingvil Giske | Producer
“Sugarcane” • National Geographic
Emily Kassie, Julian Brave NoiseCat | Directors
Emily Kassie, Kellen Quinn | Producers
WHY I CHOSE THOSE FIVE?
These are the five documentaries I chose when the initial list of 169 finalists came out. On paper, they seem like the five most in line with normal Academy voting. “Black Box Diairies” has an international political intrigue that will catch voter attention. “Dahomey” features a distinct and unique subject matter. At only 68 minutes, it is short and sweet. “No Other Land” is the clear frontrunner to win the entire category, having won several precursors; all while not having distribution. “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” is that personal, pull-at-the-heartstrings type of documentary that the Academy often puts over, like “The Eternal Memory” and “A House Made of Splinters.” Lastly, “Sugarcane” has groundswell coming into the Oscars, as one of the most noticed documentaries of the year. It will likely give “No Other Land” a run for its money.
THREE PERSONAL PICKS
“Daughters” • Netflix
Angela Patton, Natalie Rae | Directors
Natalie Rae, Lisa Mazzotta, Justin Benoliel, Mindy Goldberg, Sam Bisbee, Kathryn Everett, Laura Choi, James Cunningham | Producers
“Porcelain War” • Picturehouse
Brendan Bellomo & Slava Leontyev | Directors
Aniela Sidorska, Paula Dupré Pesmen, Camilla Mazzaferro, Olivia Ahnemann | Producers
“Will & Harper” • Netflix
Josh Greenbaum | Director
Rafael Marmor, Will Ferrell, Jessica Elbaum, Josh Greenbaum, Chris Leggett | Producers
WHY I LIKE THOSE THREE?
If I could see one documentary from this list make the final five, it would be “Porcelain War.” It has stuck with me since I watched it during Sundance this past year, as it takes a look at ordinary Ukrainian citizens who take up arms and fight against the Russian invasion. It chronicles their lives as civilians turned freedom fighters. The subject matter of “Will & Harper” is so fascinating and Will Ferrell is such a spectacular person, that I hope this one sneaks in. However, when a documentary like “Super/Man: The Christoper Reeve Story” failed to make the shortlist, it felt like these films about high-profile subjects are often doomed to fail. However, leaning on an LGBTQ+ subject matter could work in its favor. And, “Daughters” is a much talked about Netflix documentary, which sees a prison putting on a daddy-daughter dance for the inmates with children, and that feels like it might resonate with the Academy as well.
“The Bibi Files”
November 15, 2024 | JOLT | 115 min | English
Alexis Bloom, Alex Gibney, Raviv Drucker, Kara Elverson, David Rahtz
Synopsis: An inside look into the corruption charges against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu through leaked police interrogation videos.
“Black Box Diaries”
October 25, 2024 | MTV Documentary Films | 102 min | Japanese
Eric Nyari, Hanna Aqvilin, Shiori Ito
Synopsis: Journalist Shiori Ito investigates her own sexual assault, seeking to prosecute the high-profile offender. Her quest becomes a landmark case, exposing Japan’s outdated judicial and societal systems.
✰ International Documentary Association (IDA) Award Nominee
✰ Cinema Eye Honors Nonfiction Film Award Nominee
✰ Critics Choice Documentary Award Nominee
✰ National Board of Review Top 5 Documentary Film of the Year
✰ Hollywood Creative Alliance Astra Film Awards Nominee
“Dahomey”
October 25, 2024 | MUBI | 68 min | French
Eve Robin, Judith Lou Lévy, Mati Diop
Synopsis: The journey of 26 plundered royal treasures from the Kingdom of Dahomey exhibited in Paris, now being returned to Benin. Diop artistically voices a new generation’s demands.
✰ International Documentary Association (IDA) Award Nominee
✰ Cinema Eye Honors Nonfiction Film Award Nominee
✰ Critics Choice Documentary Award Nominee
✰ National Board of Review Top 5 Documentary Film of the Year
✰ European Film Award Nominee
✰ Toronto Film Critics Association Award Winner
✰ Gotham Award Nominee
“Daughters”
August 9, 2024 | Netflix | 108 min | English
Angela Patton, Natalie Rae, Lisa Mazzotta, Justin Benoliel, Mindy Goldberg, Sam Bisbee,
Kathryn Everett, Laura Choi, James Cunningham
Synopsis: Four young girls prepare for a special Daddy Daughter Dance with their incarcerated fathers, as part of a unique fatherhood program in a Washington, D.C., jail.
✰ Cinema Eye Honors Nonfiction Film Award Nominee
✰ Critics Choice Documentary Award Winner
✰ Hollywood Creative Alliance Astra Film Awards Nominee
“Eno”
July 12, 2024 | Film First Co | 85 min | English
Jessica Edwards, Gary Hustwit
Synopsis: A generative documentary about artist Brian Eno, with 52 quintillion possible iterations, so that no viewing is the same twice.
✰ Cinema Eye Honors Nonfiction Film Award Nominee
“Frida”
March 14, 2024 | Amazon MGM Studios | 87 min | Spanish
Carla Gutierrez, Sara Bernstein, Katia Maguire, Justin Wilkes, Loren Hammonds, Alexandra Johnes
Synopsis: A raw and magical journey into the life of iconic artist Frida Kahlo, told through her own words from diaries, letters, essays, and interviews. Vividly brought to life with lyrical animation inspired by her unforgettable artwork.
✰ International Documentary Association (IDA) Award Nominee
✰ Cinema Eye Honors Nonfiction Film Award Nominee
✰ Critics Choice Documentary Award Nominee
“Hollywoodgate”
July 19, 2024 | Fourth Act Films | 92 min | Pashto
Ibrahim Nash’at, Talal Derki, Odessa Rae, Shane Boris
Synopsis: Immediately after the US pullout from Afghanistan, Taliban forces occupied the Hollywood Gate complex, which is claimed to be a former CIA base in Kabul.
✰ Cinema Eye Honors Nonfiction Film Award Nominee
“No Other Land”
August 30, 2024 | mTuckman Media | 92 min | Arabic
Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Fabien Greenberg, Bård Kjøge Rønning
Synopsis: This film made by a Palestinian-Israeli collective shows the destruction of the occupied West Bank’s Masafer Yatta by Israeli soldiers and the alliance which develops between the Palestinian activist Basel and Israeli journalist Yuval.
✰ International Documentary Association (IDA) Award Winner
✰ Cinema Eye Honors Nonfiction Film Award Nominee
✰ Film Independent Spirit Award Nominee
✰ National Board of Review Award Winner
✰ European Film Award Winner
✰ Gotham Award Winner
“Porcelain War”
November 22, 2024 | Picturehouse | 87 min | Ukrainian
Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev, Aniela Sidorska, Paula Dupré Pesmen,
Camilla Mazzaferro, Olivia Ahnemann
Synopsis: Under roaring fighter jets, Ukrainian artists Slava, Anya, and Andrey choose to stay behind. Defiantly finding beauty amid destruction, they show that although it’s easy to make people afraid, it’s hard to destroy their passion for living.
✰ Producers Guild of America Documentary Award Nominee
✰ Cinema Eye Honors Nonfiction Film Award Nominee
✰ Critics Choice Documentary Award Nominee
“Queendom”
June 14, 2024 | Greenwich Entertainment | 98 min | Russian
Agniia Galdanova, Igor Myakotin
Synopsis: In defiance of Russia’s anti-LGTBQ laws, a queer, 21-year-old artist risks her life performing in surreal costumes throughout Moscow. Jenna Marvin’s radical public performances blend artistry and activism in this SXSW documentary.
✰ International Documentary Association (IDA) Award Nominee
✰ Cinema Eye Honors Nonfiction Film Award Nominee
“The Remarkable Life of Ibelin”
October 18, 2024 | Netflix | 106 min | Norwegian
Benjamin Ree, Ingvil Giske
Synopsis: Mats Steen, a Norwegian gamer, died of a degenerative muscular disease at the age of 25. His parents mourned what they thought had been a lonely and isolated life, when they started receiving messages from online friends around the world.
✰ International Documentary Association (IDA) Award Nominee
✰ Cinema Eye Honors Nonfiction Film Award Nominee
✰ Critics Choice Documentary Award Nominee
✰ Hollywood Creative Alliance Astra Film Awards Nominee
“Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat”
November 1, 2024 | Kino Lorber | 150 min | French
Johan Grimonprez, Daan Milius, Rémi Grellety
Synopsis: Jazz and decolonization are entwined in this historical rollercoaster that rewrites the Cold War episode that led musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach to crash the UN Security Council in protest against the murder of Patrice Lumumba.
✰ International Documentary Association (IDA) Award Winner
✰ Cinema Eye Honors Nonfiction Film Award Nominee
✰ Critics Choice Documentary Award Nominee
✰ Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominee
✰ European Film Award Nominee
✰ Gotham Award Nominee
“Sugarcane”
August 9, 2024 | National Geographic | 107 min | English
Emily Kassie, Julian Brave NoiseCat, Kellen Quinn
Synopsis: An investigation into abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school sparks a reckoning on the nearby Sugarcane Reserve.
✰ International Documentary Association (IDA) Award Nominee
✰ Cinema Eye Honors Nonfiction Film Award Nominee
✰ Critics Choice Documentary Award Winner
✰ National Board of Review Award Winner
✰ Gotham Award Nominee
“Union”
October 18, 2024 | Level Ground Productions | 100 min | English
Samantha Curley, Martin Dicicco, Stephen Maing, Brett Story, Mars Verrone
Synopsis: A group of current and former Amazon workers in New York City’s Staten Island challenges one of the world’s largest companies in a unionization battle.
✰ Cinema Eye Honors Nonfiction Film Award Nominee
✰ Gotham Award Nominee
“Will & Harper”
September 13, 2024 | Netflix | 114 min | English
Rafael Marmor, Will Ferrell, Jessica Elbaum, Josh Greenbaum, Chris Leggett
Synopsis: In this intimate portrayal of friendship, transition and America, Will Ferrell and his close friend of thirty years decide to go on a cross-country road trip to explore a new chapter in their relationship.
✰ Cinema Eye Honors Nonfiction Film Award Nominee
✰ Critics Choice Documentary Award Winner
✰ Toronto International Film Festival | People’s Choice Award Winner
✰ National Board of Review Top 5 Documentary Film of the Year
✰ Hollywood Creative Alliance Astra Film Awards Nominee
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