Another year, another ruthless paring down of the Oscar-caliber documentary feature crop, with the acclaimed likes of Werner Herzog's Into the Abyss, Steve James's The Interrupters, Asif Kapadia's Senna and others falling by the wayside as the Academy whittled its 125 submissions to 15 shortlist contenders.
And honestly, this is a list I can live with. I wasn't crazy about Abyss and would have been more than a little frustrated to think that might finally be the film for which the Academy recognizes Herzog. Senna and The Interrupters (and, to a lesser degree, the batshit Errol Morris trifle Tabloid) got jobbed, no doubt, but when you realize that the Oscar is Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory's to lose anyway, the bitterness abates and you just tip your cap and content yourself to watch the rest of the game from the home-video sidelines. That said: Big ups to If a Tree Falls, Bill Cunningham New York and Pina (above), a few Movieline favorites the crew here wouldn't mind seeing advance to the Big Show.
Here are your final 15, via AMPAS; check back here Jan. 24 for the final nominees in this and the rest of the Oscar categories.
Battle for Brooklyn
Bill Cunningham New York
Buck
Hell and Back Again
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front
Jane's Journey
The Loving Story
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Pina
Project Nim
Semper Fi: Always Faithful
Sing Your Song
Undefeated
Under Fire: Journalists in Combat
We Were Here
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