Article by Marcus Siu

At a time when Hollywood feature films continue to struggle at the box office, partly due to audiences staying away from the fear of catching COVID, but primarily due to mediocre product, with many of the studios releases going directly to streaming.

In contrast, feature length documentaries have held a fairly consistent degree of excellence throughout the pandemic, as most filmmakers are working indoors with a minimal crew. 2022 was certainly no exception.

Just last week, the Academy of Motion Picture Sciences (AMPAS) announced the shortlists in ten different categories, including Documentary Feature Film and Documentary Short Film for the 95th Academy Awards.

There were 144 films that were eligible in the Documentary Feature Film category and only fifteen could advance to make the shortlist. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

As expected, the winner of the Golden Lion for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival, “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed”, a portrait of artist-activist Nan Goldin, was nominated. The film is currently still playing in theaters.

The volcano crowd favorite, “Fire of Love”, which erupted on the film festival scene, and even getting a nationwide release with the summer blockbusters in multiplexes around the country also made the cut.

As usual, popular musical documentaries such as “Moonage Daydream”, a cinematic odyssey exploring David Bowie’s creative and musical journey, which also has the distinction of having the biggest grossing box office of all the docs, and “Hallelujah; Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song” also made the shortlist.

Many of the other films are still playing in theaters and have been collecting multiple awards at film festivals throughout much of the year. Some of them will be streaming very soon if not already, such as HBO’s “All That Breathes”, about two brothers who run a bird hospital in New Delhi, one of my personal favorites.

Another that should get attention, albeit, difficult to watch due to it’s subject matter, is “Last Flight Home”, which is about a bedridden father who wants to end his life with the full support from his loving and devoted family. It’s a deeply moving and poignant documentary about love, life, and the right to die.

The nominations for the 95th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, while the Oscars ceremony will be held on Sunday, March 12, 2023, at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.

Documentary Feature Film

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title and official trailer, are:

All That Breathes (HBO Documentary Films / Sideshow)

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (Neon)

Bad Axe (IFC Films)

Children of the Mist (Film Movement)

Descendant (Netflix)

Fire of Love (National Geographic Documentary Films/Neon)

Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song (Sony Pictures Classics)

Hidden Letters (Cargo Film & Releasing)

A House Made of Splinters (Madman Entertainment)

The Janes (HBO Documentary Films)

Moonage Daydream (Neon)

Navalny (CNN/Warner Bros.)

Retrograde (National Geographic Films)

The Territory (National Geographic)

Documentary Short Film

15 films will advance in the Documentary Short Film category for the 95th Academy Awards. 98 films qualified in the category. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

American Justice on Trial: People v. Newton
Anastasia
Angola Do You Hear Us? Voices from a Plantation Prison
As Far as They Can Run
The Elephant Whisperers
The Flagmakers
Happiness Is £4 Million
Haulout
Holding Moses
How Do You Measure a Year?
The Martha Mitchell Effect
Nuisance Bear
Shut Up and Paint
Stranger at the Gate
38 at the Garden