Oscar Doc Shortlist!

The Academy bears no love for Canadian rockers.  

The Oscars documentary category has always been independent. When you talk about Oscar snubs, the documentary jaw-dropping leave-outs could form a critically acclaimed festival on their own–”The Thin Blue Line,” “Hoop Dreams,” and “Grizzy Man” are a few of the much-admired documtaries that never even got a nomination.

Today the Academy announced their “shortlist” of fifteen documentaries out of 89 contenders. From the fifteen, five will actually receive nominations. Here are the candidates:

“The Cove”

“Food, Inc.”

“Valentino: The Last Emperor”

“Every Little Step”

“The Beaches of Agnes”

“Burma VJ”

“Facing Ali”

“Garbage Dreams”

“Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders”

“The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers”

“Mugabe and the White African”

“Sergio”

“Soundtrack for a Revolution”

“Under Our Skin”

“Which Way Home”  

As usual, there are some high-profile, well-known (and often well-liked) titles left off that list: “The September Issue,” “It Might Get Loud,” “Capitalism: A Love Story,” “We Live in Public,” and saddest of all, the little doc that could, “Anvil! The Story of Anvil.” Rock on, Anvil.

Of the docs that did make it, my favorite is “Every Little Step.” I adored it when I saw it and even when I walked out out of the theater, I would have gladly taken a ticket to go back in and see it again right then. So that one has my vote…which means it’s unlikely to make it out of the shortlist.