This year’s Oscars race for documentaries, like every other year, includes films by veteran directors. Academy Award winner Laura Poitras (“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed”), Primetime Emmy nominee Ryan White (“Good Night Oppy”) and two-time Sundance Grand Prix winner Ondi Timoner (“Last Flight Home”) are among the veteran helmets vying for the award. was awarded a place on the shortlist of documentaries, which were released on 21 December.
But besides the vets, there are a slew of directors who are relatively new to the scene with commendable docs and plenty of hardware. These leaders include Sara Dosa (“Fire of Love”), Edward Buckles Jr. (“Katrina Babies”), Isabel Castro (“Mega”), Daniel Rohr (“Navalny”) and Alex Pritz (“Territory”).
It’s never easy being new to the game, but if you’re a documentary filmmaker, it can have its perks, especially come Oscar season. The old guard consistently welcomes newcomers with open arms. Proof of the past decade’s winners include first-time filmmakers Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (“Summer of Soul”), Pippa Ehrlich (co-director of “My Octopus Teacher”), Ezra Edelman (“OJ: Made in America”) and Malik Ben Jelloul (“Looking for the Sugar Man”).
Being the most geographically diverse of AMPAS’ branches, it is not surprising that the Non-Fiction division also recognizes films made by directors who do not reside in North America. This year’s leaders from around the world including Shaunak Sen (“Everything That Breathes”), Simon Lereng Wilmont (“A House Made of Splinters”), Dror Moreh (“The Corridors of Powers”), Tamana Ayazi and Marcel Mettelsiefen (“In Her Hands”) has proven to be a strong contender in this year’s race for Oscar glory.
While it’s impossible to predict which presidents will make the Oscar shortlist, nominations from other organizations give an idea of what’s to come. Last month, White’s “Good Night Oppy” took home the Film Award at the seventh annual Critics’ Choice Awards for Documentary Film. In all, the docu won five awards, including the Director’s Award. Meanwhile, Dosa (“Fire of Love”), Poitras (“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed”), Sen (“All That Breathes”) and Wilmont (“A House Made of Splinters”) are nominated for an Intel Award. . Assn Documentary. Kudo the manager. Last year, Questlove took home this award.
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