This year the field of documentaries nominated for the Academy’s Best Documentary Feature award may be vastly different from previous years. The Board of Governors passed new rules proposed by Michael Moore that will make the nominating process for the documentary category more democratic.
In the past, a committee, in some cases consisting of only five member, were responsible for selecting the Oscar nominees in this category. Under the new rules, all members of the branch will be able to vote for their favorites in a manner similar to most other Oscar categories. The new rules are expected to open up the types of documentaries that will make it to the final field of five nominees.
The article speculates on a few standout documentaries that might end up on the short list and also includes some other possibilities such as:
…”Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry,” “Beauty Is Embarrassing,” “The Central Park Five,” “Chasing Ice,” “Detropia,” “Escape Fire,” “Ethel,” “The Gatekeepers,” “The Imposter,” “Last Call at the Oasis,” “The Law in These Parts,” “One Day on Earth,” “The Waiting Room” and the Keanu Reeves-produced “Side by Side,” a series of conversations about the future of film in the digital age.
Details about the rule changes can be read in The Chicago Tribune which reprinted the original article from The Wrap.