15 Documentaries Advance in Oscar Race

AMPAS announced its documentary shortlist of the 15 films that will be vying for the five nomination slots at this year's Oscars. Surprisingly there doesn't seem to be any major omissions beyond Ken Burn's The Central Park Five, which should have been a strong contender to win.

Jafar Panahi in THIS IS NOT A FILM.

 I'm thrilled with the inclusion of Jafar Panahi's This is Not a Film. It's an essential work that I hope the Academy sees fit to honor.

Here is the full list:

•    "Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry," Never Sorry LLC
•    "Bully," The Bully Project LLC
•    "Chasing Ice," Exposure
•    "Detropia," Loki Films
•    "Ethel," Moxie Firecracker Films
•    "5 Broken Cameras," Guy DVD Films
•    "The Gatekeepers," Les Films du Poisson, Dror Moreh Productions, Cinephil
•    "The House I Live In," Charlotte Street Films, LLC
•    "How to Survive a Plague," How to Survive a Plague LLC
•    "The Imposter," Imposter Pictures Ltd.
•    "The Invisible War," Chain Camera Pictures
•    "Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God," Jigsaw Productions in association with Wider Film Projects and Below the Radar Films
•    "Searching for Sugar Man," Red Box Films
•    "This Is Not a Film," Wide Management
•    "The Waiting Room," Open’hood, Inc.