Everyday Activist - Oscar Documentary Picks Top 15

Posted on Sunday, December 27, 2015 at 11:00 PM

Oscar Documentary Picks Top 15

Movie Review by Everyday Activist X CalgaryMovies.com

Given that I watch and review a ton of documentaries, I always am interested in finding out which documentaries made the cut even though I find award shows boring. Out of 124 films, 15 were chosen. And from these 15, the list will go down to 5.

Calgary festivals did not do too badly in selecting films. Meru (Review) was featured at the Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) and Heart of a Dog was featured at the Calgary Underground Film Festival (CUFF). Last year, Marda Loop Justice Film Festival (MLJFF) picked Virunga which ended up in the top five.

On Netflix you can watch Virunga (which I recommend to everyone) from last year's list. For this year's picks, Winter on Fire (Review), The Hunting Ground and What Happened, Miss Simone? are also available. Cartel Land was on there before, but I'm not sure if it'll be back before the Oscars.

Most of the films I could see how they would make the list, with the exception of Meru. While I loved Meru with its epic story lines, I didn't think it would make it this far given that climbing has such a small following and it didn't win anything in Banff. It did well at other major festivals and has been heavily promoted by the film's atheletes since 2013. Speaking of 2013, I found a wonderful article about Banff Mountain Film Festival that may explain why Meru has so much public appeal:

"Climbing the unclimbable is such a metaphor. It lies so deep within our psyche as to bring out all kinds of emotion when we watch these movies. These are stories of power. These are stories that call on us to be better. Better climbers maybe. But more likely, better at something else. Better people. Better friends. Maybe just better."

The full article is here: https://xpeditiontv.wordpress.com/2013/10/14/banff-mountain-festival-preview/#more-340

From the Oscar website the 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:

“Amy,” On the Corner Films
“Best of Enemies,” Tremolo Productions and Media Ranch
“Cartel Land,” Our Time Projects and The Documentary Group
“Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief,” Jigsaw Productions
“He Named Me Malala,” Parkes-MacDonald and Little Room
“Heart of a Dog,” Canal Street Communications
“The Hunting Ground,” Chain Camera Pictures
“Listen to Me Marlon,” Passion Pictures
“The Look of Silence,” Final Cut for Real
“Meru,” Little Monster Films (Everyday Activist Review >)
“3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets,” Motto Pictures, Lakehouse Films, and Actual Films
“We Come as Friends,” Adelante Films and KGP - Kranzelbinder Gabriele Production
“What Happened, Miss Simone?,” RadicalMedia and Moxie Firecracker
“Where to Invade Next,” Dog Eat Dog Films and IMG Films
“Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom,” Pray for Ukraine Productions (Everyday Activist Review >)

The 88th Academy Awards is live on ABC on Oscar Sunday, February 28th 2016 at 5:00 PM MST.

Calgary Showtimes >
CIFF: A Red Carpet Affair (Oscar Party) >
The Oscars 2016 >