Tuesday
18Nov2008
Oscars Documentary Short List Includes 'I.O.U.S.A' and 'Man on Wire'
Tuesday, November 18, 2008 at 5:30PM
The list of the 15 possible Oscar-nominated
documentaries has been released by
AMPAS, and unlike previous years, I've only
seen a couple of these. I've heard of a few more, but for whatever reason, they
have either not made it to me of I've not made it to them.
Here's the whole list:
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
If you've had a chance to check out any of the above documentaries, feel free to campaign for them by leaving a comment. I'm sure I'll get my hands on a few screeners, but until then, I could use some guidance.
Reader Comments (2)
Fuel is directed by Joshua Tickell, who directed Fields of Fuel, which showed at Sundance earlier this year. Fields of Fuel was based off of a short film he did called The Veggie Van Voyage, which was shown a few years ago at the Phoenix Film Festival.
I don't know if Fuel is the same movie as Fields of Fuel, it kind of sounds like it is. I did see a version of Fields of Fuel back in late 2006 and it was very good.
It's puzzling that "I.O.U.S.A." is being considered for such a high honor when it does such a poor job of investigating the issue. The film is great fodder for libertarians and deficit hawks, but it completely ignores one of the most powerful solutions to the long-term deficit: health care reform. If our health care system were anywhere near as efficient as other industrialized nations, then our deficit would disappear in the long-term. Also, at a time when our economy needs a big (deficit-expanding) stimulus to prevent a deepening recession, I.O.U.S.A. will also have the misfortune of bad timing.