Oscar-qualifying list of 134 documentaries revealed

Oscar-qualifying list of 134 documentaries revealed

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announced Friday, Oct 31 that 134 films have been submitted for the documentary feature category for the 87th Academy Awards, according to Variety.

A shortlist of 15 films will be announced in December.

Several of the 134 films have not yet had their required Los Angeles and New York qualifying releases. The Acad this year has stricter rules in this matter. Every year, AMPAS tweaks its rules and now requirements state that a docu must screen “a minimum of four times daily during their qualifying theatrical releases in both New York and Los Angeles. The screenings must begin between noon and 10 p.m., and at least one screening daily must begin between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.”

This clamps down on documakers whose films screened once a day at a non-prime hour (like 11 a.m.) so they would technically qualify, though those films often remained below the radar to voters — and to the public. Submitted features must fulfill the theatrical release requirements and comply with all of the category’s other qualifying rules in order to advance in the voting process.

The tally is down slightly from the 147 last year.

The highest-grossing docu so far is “America: Imagine the World Without Her,” which has earned $14 million. The list also includes works that address hot-button topics (“The Case Against 8,” “CitizenFour,” about Edward Snowden, and “Happy Valley” about Joe Paterno); showbiz/arts works (“Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me,” “Finding Vivian Meier,” “Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me,” “Life Itself,” “Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles”); and a wide range of other subjects, including “The Internet’s Own Boy,” “James Cameron’s Deepsea Challenge,” “Last Days in Vietnam,” “Merchants of Doubt,” “Red Army” and “Tales of the Grim Sleeper”).

Films submitted in the docu category also may qualify for Academy Awards in other categories, including best picture, provided they meet the requirements for those categories.

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