15 films vie for Best Documentary Oscar

Politics and nature dominate the shortlist

by Jennie Kermode

The Truffle Hunters might just dig up a prize
The Truffle Hunters might just dig up a prize

Politically themed documentaries an those with a focus on animals dominate the competition for this year's Best Documentary Oscar, with the shortlist revealed today. There's a focus on international concerns with pandemic documentary 76 Days, which looks at life on the front line in Wuhan's hospitals, and Welcome To Chechnya, which explores the persecution of LGBTQ people in the Russian province, while All In: The Fight For Democracy tackles problems with the US electoral system head on.

Neflix nature documentary My Octopus Teacher is likely to be a popular choice with the public, as the film was widely discussed on social media, while Gunda takes a close-up look at animals whose natural instincts are constrained by life on the farm and The Truffle Hunters meets old men whose faithful hounds help them to make a living searching for treasure on mouldering forest floors.

Those documentary contenders in full:-

Best Documentary Feature

Best Documentary Short Subject

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A dark time Kim Sung Soo on capturing history and getting a shot at an Oscar with 12.12: The Day

Reflections of a cat Gints Zilbalodis on Hayao Miyazaki, fairy tales and Latvia’s Oscar submission, Flow

Man about town Gay Talese on Watching Frank, Frank Sinatra, and his latest book, A Town Without Time

Magnificent creatures Jayro Bustamante on giving the girls of Hogar Seguro a voice in Rita

A unified vision DOC NYC highlights and cinematographer Michael Crommett on Dan Winters: Life Is Once. Forever.

Poetry and loss Géza Röhrig on Terrence Malick, Josh Safdie, and Richard Kroehling’s After: Poetry Destroys Silence

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