Oscar Best Documentary shortlist revealed

Challenging titles will engage with different viewers

by Jennie Kermode

Porcelain War
Porcelain War Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute

There's a forthright quality to the choices in this year's Oscar documentary shortlist, with challenging themes and controversial politics tackled upfront in a way we haven't always seen from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Relatively few cater to the comfort narratives of which Hollywood is fond, and there's some low budget indie work getting well-deserved attention.

Curiously, Kneecap, which has done really well elsewhere and dominated the BIFAs, didn't make this shortlist but does appear as Ireland's submission on the Best International Feature Film Shortlist.

The final set of nominations will be narrowed down on 17 January.

The full shortlist:

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Towards the end of 2024, we covered DOC NYC, the French Film Festival UK, Tallinn Black Nights, the Leeds International Film Festival, Abertoir, the London Korean Film Festival, the Belfast Film Festival and Halloween Frightfest.



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