15 Docs to Compete for Oscar Nominations

The Academy released the list of 15 documentary features today that will be vying for the coveted five nominations for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. They are:

• “At the Death House Door”
• “The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)”
• “Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh”
• “Encounters at the End of the World”
• “Fuel”
• “The Garden”
• “Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts”
• “I.O.U.S.A.”
• “In a Dream”
• “Made in America”
• “Man on Wire”
• “Pray the Devil Back to Hell”
• “Standard Operating Procedure”
• “They Killed Sister Dorothy”
• “Trouble the Water”

Right now I think Man on Wire (review) is a lock (but then again I'm partial), with standard bearer Errol Morris' Standard Operation Procedure, Werner Herzog's Encounters at the End of the World, and Trouble the Water (review), in serious contention.

However, since the nominating committee must see all 15 films, any could be a threat, from the more high profile films like I.O.U.S.A. to the more obscure ones like The Betrayal (Nerakhoon).

My only regrets are not seeing Patti Smith: Dream of Life (review) shortlisted...it's still one of my very favorite films of the year, as well as the deeply affecting Up the Yangtze (review).

As always this will be an interesting race to watch.