In March, Dick Johnson Is Dead became the latest shocking omission in the category.
It’s an Oscar tradition going back decades.
There were almost zero documentarians," recalls Peter Gilbert, a producer ofHoop Dreams.
William Gates in ‘Hoop Dreams’.Everett Collection
“We really were considered second-class citizens in the film world.”
And they’d put the flashlights on if they wanted to move on."
The effect was quickly palpable, opening the door for more popular docs to triumph at least temporarily.
Darlene Love in ‘20 Feet From Stardom’.Radius / TWC
“It’s beyond exploded.”
And with that explosion of contenders, “There’s been an explosion of money,” Benzine says.
The team behind that spent something like $50,000 on a party in Hollywood to woo voters.
Dick Johnson in ‘Dick Johnson is Dead’.Netflix
“Here’s the irony:Life Itselfhad a much more robust campaign thanAbacus,” James notes.
“There was a major campaign mounted on behalf of that film.
I did the whole song and dance the screenings, the luncheons and it didn’t get nominated.
Romanian doc ‘Collective’ became the second nominee for both Best Documentary and Best International Film in 2021.Everett Collection
Everyone did what they could, but we didn’t have that juggernaut at all.
When we got nominated, it was like, ‘Oh, wow!
We got nominated!'”
“It wasn’t easy,” Williams says.
“For me, what the Academy celebrates is always about craft.”
“It would be great if many as eight, nine, or 10 films could get nominated.
Until that day comes, it’s inevitable that great documentaries will continue to be left out.
But at least their creators can take heart that they’re in good company.
