The chosen 15. On December 21st, the announcement came down: the Oscar Shortlist of 15 documentaries selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Documentary Branch to compete for the coveted award of Best Documentary Feature in the upcoming 95th Oscars. IndieWire Editor-at-Large Anne Thompson joins “Top Docs” to break down this year’s Oscar Shortlist and dissect the vote by the diverse, and somewhat unpredictable, documentary branch. What were the surprise misses? Which films are a sure bet to make the final 5? And why is this year’s race for the Oscar far more competitive and, therefore, much harder to predict than last year’s, which saw Questlove’s Summer of Soul take home the gold. Spice up your holidays by tuning in and get your scorecards ready!
IndieWire Editor-at-Large Anne Thompson has been a contributor to the New York Times, Washington Post, The Observer, and Wired. She has served as film columnist at Variety, and deputy editor of Variety.com, where her daily blog, Thompson on Hollywood, launched in March 2007.
Key awards mentioned in this episode:
IDA (International Documentary Association) Awards – Nominees and Winners
PGA (Producers Guild of America) Awards – Documentary Nominees
Critics Choice Documentary Awards – Winners
“Top Docs” Interviews with directors of these Oscar Shortlisted films:
All that Breathes
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Bad Axe
Descendant
Fire of Love
Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song
The Janes
Last Flight Home
Moonage Daydream
Navalny
Retrograde
The Territory
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@akstanwyck on Instagram and twitter
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
”King Coal” with Elaine McMillion Sheldon
”Children of the Mist” with Diem Ha Le
”Hidden Letters” with Violet Du Feng
”House Made of Splinters” with Simon Lereng Wilmont
Sundance 2023 Lineup Rundown with Basil Tsiokos
”Impact Filmmaking” with Chris Temple
”What We Leave Behind” with Iliana Sosa
”Retrograde” with Matthew Heineman
”I Didn’t See You There” with Reid Davenport
”Sr.” with Chris Smith
”Bad Axe” with David Siev
”Good Night Oppy” with Ryan White
”All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” with Laura Poitras
”In Her Hands” with Tamana Ayazi & Marcel Mettelsiefen
”Is that Black Enough for You?” with Elvis Mitchell
”All that Breathes” with Shaunak Sen
”Last Flight Home” with Ondi Timoner
”Documentary Now!” with Alex Buono, Rhys Thomas & Seth Meyers
”Descendant” with Margaret Brown
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