12 Days of Oscar: Day 8 - Documentary Categories

Documentary filmmaking is the fine art of bringing attention to an issue or event by recording it.  Some documentarians let the story tell itself, while others use sardonic narration, music and creative editing to push the audience in a specific direction.  Whatever the case may be, documentaries are among the most interesting film works as they, to one degree or another, deal with real life.

Here are my favorites and predictions for the Documentary Feature and Documentary Short categories.

Documentary Feature Nominees

1) 5 Broken Cameras - Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi

2) The Gatekeepers - Dror Moreh, Philippa Kowarsky and Estelle Fialon

3) How to Survive a Plague - David France and Howard Gertler

4) The Invisible War - Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering

5) Searching for Sugarman - Malik Bendjelloul and Simon Chinn

The first four nominees deal with both violent and life threatening injustice.  5 Broken Cameras is a Palestinian view of Israeli settlements, The Gatekeepers is a look at Israel's fight against terrorism from the viewpoint of 5 heads of Israeli secret service.  How to Survive a Plague is a chronicle of the fight to get AIDS drugs to those afflicted in the 80's. The Invisible War reports the epidemic of rape in the US military and the systemic cover up.  The Gatekeepers and The Invisible War are riveting.  How To Survive a Plague is informative and moving.  5 Broken Cameras was chaotic at times and difficult to follow other than the repeated going through the gate, the Israeli buildings and the soldiers breaking the cameras.  
Go figure the one documentary most destined to become a musical trivia question is the most complete.

My Favorite:  Searching for Sugarman

My Oscar Prediction: Searching for Sugarman

Documentary Shorts Nominees

1) Inocente - Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine

2) Kings Point - Sari Gilman and Jed Wider

3) Mondays at Racine - Cynthia Wade and Robin Honan

4) Open Heart - Keif Davidson and Cori Shepherd Stern

5) Redemption - John Alpert and Matthew O'Neill

Kudos to each of these documentaries for showing real heart without being preachy.  Kings Point reveals the hidden side of aging in a retirement community in Florida.  Redemption looks at how many on the streets of New York stay alive by redeeming cans and bottles from the curbs and dumpsters of New York.  Open Heart is a moving documentary of Rwandan children chosen to travel to the Sudan for heart transplants.  Mondays at Racine is an emotional look at how cancer impacts the women who come to Racine's Salon once a month for free makeovers and companionship.  Inocente is the story of a homeless teenage girl who lives in a technicolor dream world of art despite her circumstances.

Inocente's smile and hope is medicine for the soul.

My Favorite: Inocente

My Oscar Prediction: Mondays at Racine