Early last month, the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences released its shortlist of animated films that were eligible for being nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar. As we pointed out at the time, that category has become weirdly interesting this year, mostly because a lot of the eligible films were so under-the-radar that the vast majority of people in the universe probably hadn’t seen or even heard of them. One of the films is based on the teachings of a new Japanese religion called Happy Science, and it’s just as eligible to get nominated as Inside Out or Anomalisa. See? Weirdly interesting!
Now, the Academy has released the shortlist of eligible films for the Best Documentary Feature award, and unlike the animated films, this category is interesting for non-weird reasons. That’s because a lot of high-profile documentaries came out this year (or will come out soon), so a lot of people will be legitimately curious to see which one takes home the tiny, golden man. The list of eligible films comes from Variety, and it includes stuff like Amy, He Named Me Malala, Michael Moore’s Where To Invade Next, and even Going Clear, despite the fact that Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre will probably be bombarded by alien rays of some kind if it even gets nominated.
Filling out the list of eligible films is Best Of Enemies, Cartel Land, Heart Of A Dog, The Hunting Ground, Listen To Me Marlon, The Look Of Silence, Meru, 3 1/2 Minutes 10 Bullets, We Come As Friends, What Happened Miss Simone?, and Winter On Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom. The official nominations will be announced on January 14, with the Academy Awards ceremony hold on February 28.