Academy Awards - The Documentary Network

And the Oscars 2013 Nominees for Documentary Feature Film & Short are…

Documentary.net staff — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 13:53:30 +0000

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM (Watch trailers above this article in this order:)

5 Broken Cameras (Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi)
The Gatekeepers
How to Survive a Plague
The Invisible War
Searching for Sugar Man

DOCUMENTARY SHORT

Inocente (Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine=
Kings Point (Sari Gilman and Jedd Wider)
Mondays at Racine (Cynthia Wade and Robin Honan)
Open Heart (Kief Davidson and Cori Shepherd Stern)
Redemption (Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill)

Watch Oscars Nominations 2013 LIVE

Documentary.net staff — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 12:17:47 +0000

Be part of the show when the nominees of the 2013 Academy Awards are presented. Thursday, January 10 8:30 a.m. ET / 5:30 a.m. PT

Oscar Predictions 2013 – 14 Documentary films that could make it this year

Documentary.net staff — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 15:00:48 +0000

Every year in January producers and filmmakers start to get nervous. Why? The nominations for the Academy Awards are coming up on Januray 10. We listed 14 films that could make it to the offical list of the nominees. Only 5 will make it to the last round. These are films with most attention by critics/precursor awards. You can browse the trailers above this article.

Bully
The Imposter
The House I Live IN
The Invisible War
How to Survive a Plague
Mea Maxima Culpa
The Gatekeepers
Chasing Ice
Ethel
The Waiting Room
Detroptia
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry
This Is Not A Film
5 Broken Cameras

Pina – Documentary – Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel [REVIEW]

Documentary.net staff — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 15:42:03 +0000

Documentary.net special: Oscar nominated documentaries 2012 German-born Pina Bausch (1940 – 2009) was a pioneer in the international world of dancing. Combining modern dance with elements of pantomime, song or acting, she is regarded as the inventor of the so-called „Tanztheater“. Famous arthouse-director Wim Wenders (Paris, Texas, 1984;Wings of Desire, 1987) also combines different elements for his oscar-nominated documentary simply named Pina. Shot in 3D, the film mixes beautfully film dancing sequences (like Pauschs version of Le sacre du printemps) with interviews. To put a finishing touch to it, Wenders added dance choreographies that were filmed round Wuppertal, Germany where Pausch lived. Like Werner Herzog´s masterpiece Cave of Forgotten Dreams (that was robbed by the Academy this year), Pina proves that 3D is not only a gimmick for blockbusters to make explosions look better but can, when properly used, enhance the artistic possibilites of the medium film. The dancers in this film come closer to the viewer than in a dancing theatre – truly sensual and beautiful. The comparison of scenes with reduced, yet artificial sets and those that are shot in Wuppertal – next to streets and highways – make for a great viewing experience. Wenders has created a cinematic monument for a truly impressive woman, who, without a doubt, was a genius in her field. documentary.net says: Wim Wenders best film in a long time is a visually stunning hommage to choreographer Pina Bausch.

See the trailer of all Oscar nominees Documentary

If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front [REVIEW]

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:36:45 +0000

Documentary.net special: Oscar nominated documentaries 2012. Director Marshall Curry is no stranger to the Oscars: in 2006, his film Street Fight (which covered the mayoral campaign in Newark, New Jersey) was nominated for Best Documentary Feature – as is his latest doc. If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front also covers political and social issues; it centers on environmentalist Daniel McGowan, a former member of the “Earth Liberation Front” (also known als ELF), a worldwide collective of eco-guerillas. In 2005, McGowan was arrested together with five other people in one of the largest arrests of environmental activists in US-history. The accusal: arson and domestic terrorism. The group had burnt down the Superior Lumber Company in Glendale, Oregon in 2001 and Jefferson Poplar Farms in Clatskanie, Oregon. Curry explores the motivation of the ELF and asks if what they did would qualify as either “terrorism” or “crime”. An important question for the accused, as a conviction because of terrorism means imprisonment in a high security facility. The film is well balanced and shows both sides of the story: McGowan and other former members of the ELF are interviewed as well as police officers, prosecutors and the managers of burnt down facilities. It all comes down to two big questions: What drove idealistic young people to such drastic measures? And were those means justified? Curry tries to deliver answers through news footage and videos shot by activists themselves. Some of the footage is quite drastic, as it shows in detail how violent police forces handle peaceful protestors. We get to see a lot of the private and personal side of McGowan, while he waits for his trial (he even marries his girlfriend). He seems like a nice, quiet person and when his sister says: „He had a totally normal childhood“ you believe her. But McGowan was worried that the environment would be destroyed by the big companies. The US-cell of the ELF was born when a peaceful protest against a parking lot escalated (Curry covers this with newsreel footage that might appear disturbing to some viewers). These violent events radicalized McGowan and his collaborators and they decided that peaceful demonstrations weren’t enough. If a Tree Falls not only demonstrates how well-organised the cell was (animated dramatizations visualise the ELF committing the arsons) but also shows in detail how the Department of Justice was able to track the group down after four years. Viewers who don’t know about the outcome of the trial will find the film not only informative, but also thrilling. If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front addresses important themes and moral questions. A film which should be interesting to anyone who is concerned about the environment. Documentary.net says: A well-balanced documentary about the phenomenon eco-terrorism that allows the viewer to make his own judgement.

Watch Academy Awards 2012 documentary nominees trailers

Academy Awards 2012 Oscar Nominees – Documentary Film [Winner: Undefeated]

Documentary.net staff — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:05:46 +0000

The nominees for the 2012 Academy Awards were announced on Tuesday morning. This is the full list of the documentary films including synopses and trailers. Update: Winner "Undefeated"

--- Documentary (Feature) ---

"Hell and Back Again" Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner

From his embed with US Marines Echo Company in Afghanistan, photojournalist and filmmaker Danfung Dennis reveals the devastating impact a Taliban machine-gun bullet has on the life of 25-year-old Sergeant Nathan Harris. The film seamlessly transitions from stunning war reportage to an intimate, visceral portrait of one man's personal struggle at home in North Carolina, where Harris confronts the physical and emotional difficulties of re-adjusting to civilian life with the love and support of his wife, Ashley. Masterfully contrasting the intensity of the frontline with the unsettling normalcy of home, HELL AND BACK AGAIN lays bare the true cost of war. "If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front" Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman

On December 7th, 2005, federal agents conducted a nationwide sweep of radical environmentalists involved with the Earth Liberation Front — an organization the FBI has called America's "number one domestic terrorism threat." IF A TREE FALLS: A STORY OF THE EARTH LIBERATION FRONT is the remarkable story of the group's rise and fall, told through the transformation and radicalization of one of its members, Daniel McGowan. Part coming-of-age tale, part cops-and-robbers thriller, the film interweaves a chronicle of McGowan facing life in prison with a dramatic investigation of the events that led to his involvement with the ELF. Using never-before-seen archival footage and intimate interviews — with cell members and with the prosecutor and detective who were chasing them — IF A TREE FALLS asks hard questions about environmentalism, activism, and the way we define terrorism. "Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory" Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs

The story of the West Memphis Three, from their 1993 murder convictions to 2011 release from prison. "Pina" Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel

PINA is a feature-length dance film in 3D with the ensemble of the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, featuring the unique and inspiring art of the great German choreographer, who died in the summer of 2009. Wim Wenders takes the audience on a sensual, visually stunning journey of discovery into a new dimension: straight onto the stage with the legendary Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch ensemble, he follows the dancers out of the theatre into the city and the surrounding areas of Wuppertal - the place, which for 35 years was the home and centre for Pina Bausch's creativity. "Undefeated" TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas Under the stewardship of Coach Bill Courtney, the Manassas High School football team has reversed its reputation as a perennial loser and established a winning record that is a source of pride for its players. The problems faced by several of the young men, however, threaten to undermine the team’s chances of making the playoffs.

--- Documentary (Short Subject) ---

"The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement" Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin

In the days leading up to Barack Obama’s victory in the 2008 election, a former civil rights activist looks back on the early days of the movement. "God Is the Bigger Elvis" Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson In 1963, actress Dolores Hart, best known for her roles opposite Elvis Presley and her performance in the teen drama WHERE THE BOYS ARE, chose to leave Hollywood behind and become a Benedictine nun. "Incident in New Baghdad"James Spione

U.S. Army Specialist Ethan McCord recalls the tragic incident in Iraq that triggered his debilitating post-traumatic stress disorder and altered his view of the war "Saving Face" Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy A British-Pakistani plastic surgeon works to help women who have been injured in acid attacks, while his patients struggle to come to terms with the aftermath of their disfigurement. "The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom" Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen

In the wake of the devastating tsunami in Japan, the people of the region hardest hit by the disaster draw a measure of hope from the annual cherry blossom season as they fight to rebuild their lives.

Film Academy changes rules for Documentary Oscar Nomination Process

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:08:11 +0000

In order to be eligible for an Academy Award, your feature-length documentary film will need to be reviewed by the L.A. Times or N.Y. Times. In an effort to both pare down the number of documentaries eligible for Oscar consideration and increase the involvement of the entire 157-member documentary branch, the academy’s documentary branch has adopted new rules for the 2013 ceremony. But the change, which would come into effect for the 2013 Oscars, is raising concerns among some filmmakers, including members of the academy's own documentary branch, that the new rule will favor wealthier documentary makers who have professional publicists over the vast majority of colleagues who typically struggle to finance their films, let alone publicize them. Here a list of filmmaker quotes:

A New York Times or LA Times review does not make a lot of sense to me, because the academy already requires a one-week run in a theater... ...Now in addition to running ads we have to hire publicists and get guaranteed a review. Joe Berlinger, whose most recent film, "Paradise Lost 3," has made this year's shortlist for best feature documentary.

New rules in the Oscar documentary process are not going to make things harder for documentary filmmakers Michael Moore (TheWrap)

The changes do not address the key problem, which is 99% of the documentaries being made are not released in theaters. So tightening up the rules for theatrical release just highlights the issue all the more... I would prefer to see the academy figure out a way to get rid of the theatrical requirement and recognize that the distinction between theatrical and non-theatrical for documentaries is a phony one and makes no sense in the modern world of documentary production. Lawrence Hott, a two-time Oscar nominee, said in an email to L.A. Times