IN DEPTH: The 2009 Film Independent Spirit Award Nonfiction Nominees
See how easy this is?
Not for nothing, but once again the jury at the Film Independent Spirit Awards has come up with a crackerjack list of 5 nominees for Best Documentary, 3 of which - THE BETRAYAL (NERAKHOON), ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD and MAN ON WIRE - are also in the running for the Oscar.
The big news this morning - two nominations for Margaret Brown's exceptional THE ORDER OF MYTHS, which had been shamelessly overlooked by festival juries and Academy voters throughout the year. Also, a deserving nod for Yung Chang's UP THE YANGTZE, eliminated from Oscar consideration due to a TV broadcast.
Also raking in two nominations this morning were now-defunct Discovery Films and Executive Producer Andrea Meditch, who may also soon have the melancholy celebration of Oscar nods for two of its final films (WIRE and ENCOUNTERS). Also, longtime distributor Cinema Guild can toast themselves with three nods - two for MYTHS and another for THE BETRAYAL.
And while I hesitate to sound like a broken record, one can't help but note that TROUBLE THE WATER was passed over this AM. One also can't help but begin to think that if the Spirit Awards and the Oscars are a two-film race, perhaps it's a contest between MAN ON WIRE and a lifetime recognition (sorry that we screwed you over on GRIZZLY MAN) for Werner Herzog via ENCOUNTERS.
In the Truer Than Fiction grant category, another nomination for ORDER OF MYTHS plus one each for LAFF Grand Jury Prize winner LOOT and beloved Sundance rockumentary ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL (Full disclosure: I was on the Truer Than Fiction nominating committee this year.)
Here are this year's nominees for BEST DOCUMENTARY:
Festival premiere - Sundance Additional festivals of note - Berlin, Full Frame, Hot Docs, Silverdocs, IDFA Festival laurels - Spectrum Award, Full Frame
Oscar Shortlist - Yes Cinema Eye Eligible? - Yes IDA Nomination - No Gotham Nomination - No
Distribution: Cinema Guild. Will air on PBS' P.O.V. Theatrical gross to date -$5,864
Sample review: "More
than two decades in the making, this heartfelt debut docu feature by
veteran cinematographer Ellen Kuras brings an affecting personal
dimension to a sprawling sociopolitical narrative, intimately detailing
how the agendas designed to advance the interests of nations can
destroy individual lives." - Scott Foundas, Variety
Notes: Kuras is no stranger to the Independent Spirit Awards - this is her third nomination - but her first in the Best Documentary Feature category [her first two came for her cinematography on SWOON (1992) and PERSONAL VELOCITY (2002)]. THE BETRAYAL is catching fire as award season heats up. It had a lot of admirers speaking up prior to the Oscar shortlist unveil and with this nomination must be considered a serious contender for a nod with the Academy. Although due to it's relatively lower profile (against other films in this category), it's unlikely to gain Kuras her first Spirit Award.
Festival premiere - Toronto 2007 Additional festivals of note - IDFA, Full Frame, Silverdocs
Oscar Shortlist - Yes Cinema Eye Eligible? - Yes IDA Nomination - Yes, Career Achievement Award for Herzog Gotham Nomination - Yes, Best Documentary Feature
Distribution: THINKFilm Theatrical gross to date -$944,933
Sample review: "That
great eccentric poet of cinema Werner Herzog (GRIZZLY MAN, THE WHITE
DIAMOND) trains his cameras on Antarctica and finds visual splendor and
seductive danger on the frozen continent, from those who dive below the
sea to penguins who consider prostitution. Herzog gets inside the minds
and hearts of the people who live there and study its mysteries. Herzog
is one of a kind. His new doc is an event you watch in awe as you
marvel at its wonders." - Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Notes: Herzog was nominated here three years ago for GRIZZLY MAN (the year he was snubbed for the Oscars) but ended up losing to Alex Gibney's ENRON doc. Now he's on deck for another runner-up slot to crowd favorite MAN ON WIRE. But there's still a chance that Herzog could pull off the (slight) upset. More to the point, this nomination boosts his chances for his first Oscar nod, where a growing sentiment that it's time to honor the larger-than-life filmmaker might just lead to his walking home with the statue. Look to crowd reaction on Friday night when Herzog accepts his lifetime achievement honor from the IDA for clues.
Festival premiere - Sundance Additional festivals of note - True/False, SXSW, Full Frame, Hot Docs, BritDoc Festival
laurels - Sundance Grand Jury Prize - International; Sundance Audience
Award - International; Runner-up, Full Frame; Best Documentary, BritDoc
Oscar Shortlist - Yes Cinema Eye Eligible? - Yes IDA Nomination - Yes, Best Feature Documentary Gotham Nomination - Yes, Best Feature Documentary
Distribution: Magnolia Theatrical gross to date -$2,882,536
Sample review: "(W)ithout
making any grandiose claims, this lovely, touching film demonstrates
that the World Trade Center sky walk was an important event. The proof
is in the emotions — amusement, amazement, awe — evoked by those images
of a tiny human figure balancing above a void. Also gratitude." - A.O. Scott, NY Times
Our thoughts: "Utilizing
modern day interviews with the participants, highly-stylized
re-enactments, well-placed archival footage and a rich trove of film of
Petit and his team preparing for the "coup", Marsh constructs a
suspenseful thriller that acknowledges the audience's awareness of the
fate of the Twin Towers without ever mentioning it or exploiting it.
That in itself is its own high wire act and Marsh executes it
flawlessly."
Notes: So far, perfect. The only film to score recognition from 4 of 5 major doc awards (Gothams, IDA, Academy, Spirits, with only Cinema Eye remaining) and - due to its high profile, near universal love and strong box office, the heavy favorite to take home hardware from Film Independent members. If MAN ON WIRE is able to win on Saturday (at the Spirits) and Sunday (at the Oscars) it would become the third film in history - and the first since Errol Morris' FOG OF WAR - to win both prizes.
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I'll have to check these out, I love a good indie film. Thanks for the post.
Posted by: Designer Home Hardware | April 08, 2009 at 08:29 AM