All these wonderful things

The Most Honored Documentary of 2010 is EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP

After a full year in which Laura Poitras' THE OATH and Jeff Malmberg's MARWENCOL dominated our Nonfiction Feature Honor Roll with a full slate of festival jury prizes and year-end documentary awards, the onslaught of 2010's various film critics honors have handed the mantle of most honored documentary of the year to Banksy's EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP.

EXIT now has a full 24 mentions on the Honor Roll - a combination of year-end documentary award nominations and critics prizes - which is 8 ahead of the 2nd place film, MARWENCOL and 10 ahead of Poitras' THE OATH and fellow Oscar shortlisted doc, Charles Ferguson's INSIDE JOB.

Three other Oscar shortlisted features - Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger's RESTREPO, Amir Bar-Lev's THE TILLMAN STORY and Davis Guggenheim's WAITING FOR 'SUPERMAN' have 12 mentions each. 

After being absent from the list for most of the year (the film played out of competition at Sundance and Berlin), EXIT sprinted to the top of the Honor Roll chart on the basis of a somewhat surprising critical consensus - surprising not on the merits but because critics have tended to award issue-based docs over more entertaining fare.  Even last year when ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL was making a strong year-end showing among some critics, in the end the awards tended to favor the eventual Oscar winner, Louie Psihoyos' THE COVE. 

As Critics Prepare to Weigh in, THE OATH and MARWENCOL Still Lead Honor Roll

Think of it as a different kind of shortlist. 

The Academy weighed in their list of 15 films that will move forward in the Oscar race.  Some of those titles have done really well in awards and nominations leading up to the Granddaddy of them all while others haven't made a blip on the radar until now.

On our annual Nonfiction Feature Honor Roll, we usually find that things really begin to coallesce as the year ends.  Thus far we've heard from festival juries & audiences, and we've got nominees for each of the year's other big nonfiction awards (Spirits, Cinema Eye, IDA & Gothams).Starting today, with the National Board of Review weighing in on the year's best films, we'll start hearing from critics groups and then the various guilds.

But if we were to take the information we have to date - which 15 films would make the Honor Roll shortlist?  [We'll give you a hint - only 6 of the 15 are on the Academy's shortlist.]

The Monday Brief: Debunking Brandeis Citation in Berlinger Ruling, BABIES Rule Mother's Day & Hot Docs Wrapping

With the close of Hot Docs yesterday, we can finally exhale after a non-stop stretch of key film festivals that has swallowed up most of spring thus far - and for the majority of us (certainly those not headed to the south of France), we now have a few weeks to rest before the June festival onslaught hits...

That gives us a moment to reflect on the year thus far and the film's that are making an impact.  Earlier today we posted the first edition of the 2010 Nonfiction Feature Honor Roll, our annual round-up of festival (and, later in the year, critics and end-of-year) prizes.  No surprise that Laura Poitras' THE OATH - which has seemingly shown up with raves at every major fest this year - leads this year's list, followed by Jeff Malmberg's SXSW sensation MARWENCOL and Lucy Walker's audience fave, WASTE LAND.

But it's a film from 2009 that leads The Brief today and what it may mean for nonfiction filmmakers everywhere...

Many are still trying to figure out just how to react to the surprisingly broad ruling from US District Court Judge Lewis A. Kaplan that may force filmmaker Joe Berlinger to turn over more than 600 hours of outtakes from his film, CRUDE, to the Chevron corporation.  As we noted Saturday, Chevron argued that the outtakes may help them defend themselves in a lawsuit brought by Ecuadorians over water contamination, charges which were detailed in Berlinger's film.

In his decision, Kaplan referenced former Supreme Court justice Louis Brandeis' comment that "sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants", which didn't sit well with Frank Smyth of the Society to Protect Journalists:

"The irony in the judge’s choice of language is as thick as crude...

 

What would the late Supreme Court Justice Brandeis think? He made his famous sunlight statement about the need to expose bankers and investors who controlled “money trusts” to stifle competition, and he later railed against not only powerful corporations but the lawyers and other members of the bar who worked to perpetuate their power."

This news is sure to keep developing in the days and weeks to come.

Meanwhile, after months of slow going at the documentary box office, this weekend saw three major debuts and the continued success of the Disneynature franchise.

THE OATH, MARWENCOL and WASTE LAND Lead First Edition of 2010 Nonfiction Feature Honor Roll

Just over four months into 2010 and we're publishing our first edition of our annual Nonfiction Feature Honor Roll.  While this early edition of the list often favors films that premiered at Sundance (and had a successful spring festival run), it still offers our first glimpse at some of the films that may be in play for awards consideration at year's end.

A quick glimpse - and tallied by sheer number of award citations - shows Laura Poitras' THE OATH, which just opened this weekend at NY's IFC Center, as the most honored film of 2010 thus far, with six awards from six different festivals.

Jeff Malmberg's MARWENCOL - which premiered at SXSW, not Sundance - ranks second, with four honors at four different festivals.  Lucy Walker's WASTE LAND also has four - audience awards at Sundance, Berlin and Full Frame, plus a jury award at Dallas.

Two films - RESTREPO and ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE - have three awards.  Each won one at Sundance (Grand Jury US for RESTREPO and Special Jury World for ENEMIES) and two from Full Frame.

Other films with two or more awards (from more than one fest) include FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE, GASLAND, THUNDER SOUL and WAR DON DON.  Other than GASLAND (which premiered in Park City), the films premiered at SXSW.

The first edition of last year's honor roll (published in September but still largely based on festival awards from the first third of the year) showed BURMA VJ, THE COVE and THE WAY WE GET BY as the leading honorees.  THE COVE, of course, would go on to win the Oscar as well as three Cinema Eye Honors.  BURMA VJ won two Cinema Eye Honors and was nominated for the Oscar, while THE WAY WE GET BY was nominated for Debut Feature at Cinema Eye.  None of the other eventual Oscar nominees had made a dent at that time (THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA would premiere at Toronto, FOOD INC. and WHICH WAY HOME each had single awards from July's Traverse City Film Festival.)

We'll continue to update the 2010 Honor Roll as the year continues.

The Pre-Christmas Brief: THE COVE Leads the Laurels, LA DANSE Breaks Into the Top 20 and the Docs of Hopenhagen

We are winding down for the year and our posting over the next two weeks will be intermittent at best.  But we'll be back in the New Year with our look back on 2009, including our favorite films, nonfiction heroes and the issues that defined our community.

During the holidays, we will be twittering the important (and occasionally trivial) doc news (there will also be utterly incomprehensible nonsense), so if you aren't following us yet, now's as good a time to start as any.

But before we go...

Film critics are continuing to pile on the end-of-the-year honors, most recently with the Chicago Film Critics being the latest group to throw their hats in the ring for ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL, the St. Louis Film Critics going for CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY and the Florida Film Critics lining up for THE COVE.  Spreading the love a little bit further, those rapscallions at the Satellite Awards awarded their Best Documentary prize to EVERY LITTLE STEP.

We're keeping track of all of this year's major honors - from festival jury prizes to critics awards - on our 2009 Nonfiction Feature Honor Roll.  At the moment, THE COVE is way out in front with the most laurels, with substantial support from film critics groups proving the difference.  ANVIL, BURMA VJ and FOOD, INC. also have a strong showing.

Further signs that the year is almost done - the docs have nearly cleared out of the art houses as Oscar bait comes to town.  According to Box Office Mojo, the only feature documentary to make more than $3,000 total in North American theaters this weekend was Frederick Wiseman's LA DANSE: THE PARIS OPERA BALLET.  That film took in $27,500 on 25 screens this weekend for a total box office take to date of $342K.  That's enough to edge LA DANSE into the Top 20 Nonfiction Box Office for 2009, replacing UNMISTAKEN CHILD (which quietly doubled the take of FLOW to become the highest grossing doc yet for Oscilloscope Laboratories).

An interesting piece of box office trivia - THE COVE looks to end its theatrical run with a box office take of approximately $850K - nearly the exact same box office total for 2007's SHARKWATER.

BURMA VJ, THE COVE, WAY WE GET BY Lead 2009 Feature Honor Roll

Our first edition of the 2009 Nonfiction Feature Honor Roll is now up, tracking top tier festival awards (and later critics and institutional prizes) for this year's crop of documentaries.  And just looking at sheer numbers, three films are currently leading the list of 2009 titles: Anders Østergaard's BURMA VJ, Louie Psihoyos' THE COVE and Aron Gaudet's THE WAY WE GET BY.

BURMA VJ scored multiple awards at this year's Full Frame Film Festival as well as prizes at Sundance, San Francisco, Thessaloniki and last year's IDFA (not included on this year's Honor Roll).  THE COVE is this year's Audience Award champ, picking up the title at Sundance, Hot Docs, Seattle and Silverdocs, among others.  And THE WAY WE GET BY has received jury prizes and honorable mentions, including a Special Jury prize at SXSW and the Audience Award at Full Frame.

The 2006 Nonfiction Feature Honor Roll - Updated

With the announcement that the National Society of Film Critics have chosen An Inconvenient Truth for Best Documentary of 2006, it's time to update the Nonfiction Feature Honor Roll.  Since we last visited, the Al Gore global warming warning has picked up nearly a dozen critics prizes, earning a near sweep.  Only New York (Deliver Us From Evil), Boston (tie between Deliver Us and Shut Up & Sing), San Diego (Shut Up & Sing), Austin (This Film Is Not Yet Rated) and Toronto (Manufactured Landscapes) failed to jump on the Davis Guggenheim bandwagon.  (More on the strange universal love for Truth in a later blog post.)

Meanwhile, James Longley's Iraq in Fragments was the winner, by a wide margin, of the first annual indieWIRE Critics Poll, borne out of the ashes of the Village Voice's now-deceased film poll, and placed second to 2005's Darwin's Nightmare in the first annual LA Weekly Critics Poll.

With just a week left to vote for this year's Oscar nominees, a quick glance of the chart will show that An Inconvenient Truth, Deliver Us From Evil, Iraq in Fragments, Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple and Shut Up & Sing are leading the end-of-year honors, with Truth handily out in front.   All five films are shortlisted for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar.

Now, the updated list:

The 2006 Nonfiction Feature Honor Roll

49 UP
New York Film Critics - Best Documentary Runner-up

51 BIRCH STREET
Boston Film Critics - Best Documentary Runner-up
National Board of Review - Top 5 Documentaries

BLINDSIGHT
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist

BORAT
New York Film Critics - Best Documentary Runner-up

CAN MR. SMITH GET TO WASHINGTON ANYMORE?
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist
IDA Awards - Best Documentary Finalist

THE CHANCES OF THE WORLD CHANGING
Independent Spirit Awards - Truer Than Fiction Award Nominee

DARWIN’S NIGHTMARE
Los Angeles Film Critics - Best Documentary Runner-up
LA Weekly Critics Poll - Best Documentary Winner

DELIVER US FROM EVIL
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist
IDA Awards - Best Documentary Finalist
Gotham Award - Best Documentary Nominee
National Society of Film Critics - Best Documentary Runner-Up
New York Film Critics - Best Documentary Winner
Boston Film Critics - Best Documentary Winner (tie)
Chicago Film Critics - Best Documentary Nominee
Toronto Film Critics - Best Documentary Nominee
International Press Academy Satellite Awards - Best Documentary Winner

FOLLOWING SEAN
Gotham Award - Best Documentary Nominee

THE GREAT HAPPINESS SPACE: TALE OF AN OSAKA LOVE THIEF
IDA Awards - Documentary Shortlist

THE GROUND TRUTH
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist

ICI NAJAC A VOUS LA TERRE
IDA Awards - Documentary Shortlist

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist
IDA Awards - Pare Lorentz Award Winner
Gotham Award - Best Documentary Nominee
National Society of Film Critics - Best Documentary Winner
New York Film Critics - Best Documentary Runner-up
Los Angeles Film Critics - Best Documentary Winner
Chicago Film Critics - Best Documentary Winner
San Francisco Film Critics - Best Documentary Winner
Washington DC Film Critics - Best Documentary Winner
Toronto Film Critics - Best Documentary Nominee
Dallas-Ft. Worth Film Critics - Best Documentary Winner
Las Vegas Film Critics - Best Documentary Winner
Phoenix Film Critics - Best Documentary Winner
Florida Film Critics - Best Documentary Winner
Kansas City Film Critics - Best Documentary Winner
Oklahoma Film Critics - Best Documentary Winner
Utah Film Critics - Best Documentary Winner
Southeastern Film Critics - Best Documentary Winner
New York Film Critics Online - Best Documentary Winner
National Board of Review - Best Documentary Winner
Broadcast Film Critics Association - Best Documentary Nominee
International Press Academy Satellite Awards - Best Documentary Nominee

IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist
IDA Awards - Best Documentary Winner
Gotham Award - Best Documentary Winner
indieWIRE Critics Poll - Best Documentary Winner
National Board of Review - Top 5 Documentaries

JESUS CAMP
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist
Chicago Film Critics - Best Documentary Nominee

JONESTOWN: THE LIFE & DEATH OF PEOPLES TEMPLE
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist
IDA Awards - ABCNews VideoSource Award Winner
Gotham Award - Best Documentary Nominee
International Press Academy Satellite Awards - Best Documentary Nominee

KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON
Independent Spirit Awards - Truer Than Fiction Award Nominee

A LION IN THE HOUSE
Independent Spirit Awards - Best Documentary Nominee

MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES
Toronto Film Critics - Best Documentary Winner

MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist
Independent Spirit Awards - Best Documentary Nominee

THE ROAD TO GUANTANAMO
Independent Spirit Awards - Best Documentary Nominee

SHOWBUSINESS: A SEASON TO REMEMBER
IDA Awards - Best Documentary Finalist

SHUT UP & SING
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist
National Society of Film Critics - Best Documentary Runner-Up
Chicago Film Critics - Best Documentary Nominee
Boston Film Critics - Best Documentary Winner (tie)
San Diego Film Critics - Best Documentary WInner
Broadcast Film Critics Association - Best Documentary Nominee
National Board of Review - Top 5 Documentaries

SIERRA LEONE’S REFUGEE ALL STARS
IDA Awards - Best Documentary Finalist

SISTERS IN LAW
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist

STORM OF EMOTIONS
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist

THE TAILENDERS
Independent Spirit Awards - Truer Than Fiction Award Nominee

THIN
IDA Awards - Documentary Shortlist

THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED
Austin Film Critics Awards - Best Documentary Winner
Broadcast Film Critics Association - Best Documentary Nominee

THE TRIALS OF DARRYL HUNT
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist
Independent Spirit Awards - Best Documentary Nominee

AN UNREASONABLE MAN
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist

THE US VS. JOHN LENNON
International Press Academy Satellite Awards - Best Documentary Nominee

VIEW FROM A GRAIN OF SAND
IDA Awards - Documentary Shortlist

THE WAR TAPES
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist
International Press Academy Satellite Awards - Best Documentary Nominee

WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR?
Broadcast Film Critics Association - Best Documentary Nominee

WORDPLAY
Chicago Film Critics - Best Documentary Nominee
Broadcast Film Critics Association - Best Documentary Nominee
National Board of Review - Top 5 Documentaries

WORKINGMAN’S DEATH
IDA Awards - Documentary Shortlist

YOU’RE GONNA MISS ME
Independent Spirit Awards - Best Documentary Nominee

The 2006 Nonfiction Feature Honor Roll

Herewith begins a tally of shortlists, nominations and awards for nonfiction features for 2006 from the big 4 (Oscars, Spirit Awards, IDAs and Gothams) as well as the major critics groups, begun today in honor of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's decision to add an award for Animated Feature and yet still not have an award for Nonfiction Feature.  (Ah, one of these days I'll tell my stories of working on the Golden Globes as one of my first jobs in Los Angeles...) 

This alphabetical list will be updated as more critics groups make their choices:

The 2006 Nonfiction Feature Honor Roll

49 UP
New York Film Critics - Best Documentary Runner-up

51 BIRCH STREET
Boston Film Critics - Best Documentary Runner-up
National Board of Review - Top 5 Documentaries

BLINDSIGHT
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist

BORAT
New York Film Critics - Best Documentary Runner-up

CAN MR. SMITH GET TO WASHINGTON ANYMORE?
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist
IDA Awards - Best Documentary Finalist

THE CHANCES OF THE WORLD CHANGING
Independent Spirit Awards - Truer Than Fiction Award Nominee

DARWIN’S NIGHTMARE
Los Angeles Film Critics - Best Documentary Runner-up

DELIVER US FROM EVIL
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist
IDA Awards - Best Documentary Finalist
Gotham Award - Best Documentary Nominee
New York Film Critics - Best Documentary Winner
Boston Film Critics - Best Documentary Winner (tie)
International Press Academy Satellite Awards - Best Documentary Nominee

FOLLOWING SEAN
Gotham Award - Best Documentary Nominee

THE GREAT HAPPINESS SPACE: TALE OF AN OSAKA LOVE THIEF
IDA Awards - Documentary Shortlist

THE GROUND TRUTH
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist

ICI NAJAC A VOUS LA TERRE
IDA Awards - Documentary Shortlist

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist
IDA Awards - Pare Lorentz Award Winner
Gotham Award - Best Documentary Nominee
New York Film Critics - Best Documentary Runner-up
Los Angeles Film Critics - Best Documentary Winner
San Francisco Film Critics - Best Documentary Winner
Washington DC Film Critics - Best Documentary Winner
New York Film Critics Online - Best Documentary Winner
National Board of Review - Best Documentary Winner
Broadcast Film Critics Association - Best Documentary Nominee
International Press Academy Satellite Awards - Best Documentary Nominee

IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist
IDA Awards - Best Documentary Winner
Gotham Award - Best Documentary Winner
National Board of Review - Top 5 Documentaries

JESUS CAMP
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist

JONESTOWN: THE LIFE & DEATH OF PEOPLES TEMPLE
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist
IDA Awards - ABCNews VideoSource Award Winner
Gotham Award - Best Documentary Nominee
International Press Academy Satellite Awards - Best Documentary Nominee

KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON
Independent Spirit Awards - Truer Than Fiction Award Nominee

A LION IN THE HOUSE
Independent Spirit Awards - Best Documentary Nominee

MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist
Independent Spirit Awards - Best Documentary Nominee

THE ROAD TO GUANTANAMO
Independent Spirit Awards - Best Documentary Nominee

SHOWBUSINESS: A SEASON TO REMEMBER
IDA Awards - Best Documentary Finalist

SHUT UP & SING
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist
Boston Film Critics - Best Documentary Winner (tie)
Broadcast Film Critics Association - Best Documentary Nominee
National Board of Review - Top 5 Documentaries

SIERRA LEONE’S REFUGEE ALL STARS
IDA Awards - Best Documentary Finalist

SISTERS IN LAW
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist

STORM OF EMOTIONS
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist

THE TAILENDERS
Independent Spirit Awards - Truer Than Fiction Award Nominee

THIN
IDA Awards - Documentary Shortlist

THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED
Broadcast Film Critics Association - Best Documentary Nominee

THE TRIALS OF DARRYL HUNT
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist
Independent Spirit Awards - Best Documentary Nominee

AN UNREASONABLE MAN
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist

THE US VS. JOHN LENNON
International Press Academy Satellite Awards - Best Documentary Nominee

VIEW FROM A GRAIN OF SAND
IDA Awards - Documentary Shortlist

THE WAR TAPES
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Documentary Shortlist
International Press Academy Satellite Awards - Best Documentary Nominee

WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR?
Broadcast Film Critics Association - Best Documentary Nominee

WORDPLAY
Broadcast Film Critics Association - Best Documentary Nominee
National Board of Review - Top 5 Documentaries

WORKINGMAN’S DEATH
IDA Awards - Documentary Shortlist

YOU’RE GONNA MISS ME
Independent Spirit Awards - Best Documentary Nominee