An expose about government corruption around a Bucharest nightclub fire, a look into the extent of the FBI’s surveillance of Martin Luther King Jr and an exploration of the origins of the disability rights movement are among the documentary films that are advancing to the next round of Oscar voting.
On Tuesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled its shortlists for several categories, including Documentary Feature, International Feature, Original Song, Original Score, Visual Effects and Make-up and Hairstyling.
Titles as diverse as Tenet (for score and visual effects), Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (for the original Wuhan Flu Song), Eurovision Song Contest (for song) and Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Story (for score, song and make-up) are in the initial mix.
Academy Award nominations will be announced on March 15.
The documentary category includes Collective, MLK/FBI, Netflix's Crip Camp and Dick Johnson is Dead. The competitive list also has The Truffle Hunters, Time, Boys State, All In: The Fight for Democracy, about voter suppression, Welcome to Chechnya, about Russia's anti-LGBTQ efforts, and 76 Days, about the early pandemic in Wuhan.
The 15 films were culled from 238 eligible titles. Somewhat surprisingly, Bryan Fogel's Jamal Khashoggi assassination documentary, The Dissident, was not included. Fogel's previous film Icarus won the Academy Award.
Romania's Collective is also one of the 15 films shortlisted for International Feature, as are France's Two of Us, Denmark's Another Round, Mexico's I'm No Longer Here, Chile's The Mole Agent, Hong Kong's Better Days, Iran's Sun Children and Guatemala's La Llorona. A record 93 countries submitted films for consideration.
The Korean-American film Minari, which was controversially nominated for a foreign language Golden Globe, was not eligible in the same category for the Oscars.
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross could find themselves double nominees, as both Soul and Mank were shortlisted for Original Score. Others include Ludwig Goransson for Tenet, Emile Mosseri for Minari and James Newton Howard for News of the World.
Original songs that made the shortlist in addition to Wuhan Flu include Janelle Monae's Turntables, from All In: The Fight for Democracy, Leslie Odom Jr's Speak Now, from One Night in Miami..., John Legend's Never Break, from Giving Voice and HER's Fight for You, from Judas and the Black Messiah. Justin Timberlake's Just Sing, from Trolls World Tour did not make the cut.
Winners will be announced at the 93rd Oscars on Sunday, April 25.
Here is the shortlist in full:
Documentary Feature
All In: The Fight for Democracy
Boys State
Collective
Crip Camp
Dick Johnson is Dead
Gunda
MLK/FBI
The Mole Agent
My Octopus Teacher
Notturno
The Painter and the Thief
76 Days
Time
The Truffle Hunters
Welcome to Chechnya
Documentary Short
Abortion Helpline, This Is Lisa
Call Centre Blues
Colette
A Concerto is a Conversation
Do Not Split
Hunger Ward
Hysterical Girl
A Love Song for Latasha
The Speed Cubers
What Would Sophia Loren Do?
International Feature
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Quo Vadis, Aida?
Chile, The Mole Agent
Czech Republic, Charlatan
Denmark, Another Round
France, Two of Us
Guatemala, La Llorona
Hong Kong, Better Days
Iran, Sun Children
Ivory Coast, Night of the Kings
Mexico, I'm No Longer Here
Norway, Hope
Romania, Collective
Russia, Dear Comrades!
Taiwan, A Sun
Tunisia, The Man Who Sold His Skin
Make-up and Hair
Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn
Emma
The Glorias
Hillbilly Elegy
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
The Little Things
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank
One Night in Miami...
Pinocchio
Music (Original Score)
Ammonite
Blizzard of Souls
Da 5 Bloods
The Invisible Man
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se)
The Little Things
Mank
The Midnight Sky
Minari
Mulan
News of the World
Soul
Tenet
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Music (Original Song)
Turntables from All In: The Fight for Democracy
See What You've Done from Belly of the Beast
Wuhan Flu from Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Husavik from Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
Never Break from Giving Voice
Make It Work from Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
Fight For You from Judas and the Black Messiah
Io Si (Seen) from The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se)
Rain Song from Minari
Show Me Your Soul from Mr Soul!
Loyal Brave True from Mulan
Free from The One and Only Ivan
Speak Now from One Night in Miami ...
Green from Sound of Metal
Hear My Voice from The Trial of the Chicago 7
Animated Short
Burrow
Genius Loci
If Anything Happens I Love You
Kapaemahu
Opera
Out
The Snail and the Whale
To Gerard
Traces
Yes-People
Live Action Short
Bittu
Da Yie
Feeling Through
The Human Voice
The Kicksled Choir
The Letter Room
The Present
Two Distant Strangers
The Van
White Eye
Visual Effects
Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn
Bloodshot
Love and Monsters
Mank
The Midnight Sky
Mulan
The One and Only Ivan
Soul
Tenet
Welcome to Chechnya
