Documentaries on both make the cut of 15 for Oscar.
AB Wire
Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai may have reason to celebrate early next year, as the poignant documentary on her life ‘He Named Me Malala’ has made the shortlist for an Oscar at the Acedemy Awards, which will be announced onFebruary 28.
Also in the reckoning and one of the most highly praised films of the year is ‘Amy’ by Asif Kapadia, on the turbulent life of the singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse, who died of alcohol poisoning in 2011.
‘He Named Me Malala’ and ‘Amy” are among 15 films that have made the cut for now. They would be further whittled down to five when the nominations are announced on January 14.
Alex Gibney’s film on Scientology, “Going Clear” and Michael Moore’s “Where to Invade Next” also made the cut of 15. Also in the reckoning for an Oscar are the Mexican-border vigilante study ‘Cartel Land’, the taut campus-rape investigation film ‘The Hunting Ground’, and study of race issues’ film ‘3½ Minutes Ten Bullets’.
Joshua Oppenheimer, who was nominated for ‘The Act of Killing’ in 2013, is back in contention with ‘The Look of Silence’, a follow-up study of the mid-60s Indonesian massacres.
Two acclaimed films that didn’t make the cut: the Kurt Cobain feature, ‘Montage of Heck’, and the Sundance film festival hit ‘The Wolfpack’ about the power of movies to shape meaning.
The 15 documentaries shortlisted for an Oscar:
- Amy
- Best of Enemies
- Cartel Land
- Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
- He Named Me Malala
- 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?
- Where to Invade Next
- Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom.