We knew that when the nominations came down that it was going to go this way, that OJ would win the big award but they would also award Ava DuVernay’s 13th for a the category “streaming.” The rules have to do with how long the film was in theaters before it went to streaming. These are broadcast film critics, not Oscar voters. The doc voters in the Academy are very very different from critics, especially these critics but critics overall. That’s why their nominations are often perplexing, and why they don’t usually match other groups. But good for both of these films — well deserved.
It’s a little unfair to compete with OJ: Made in America for any documentary, given that it’s five two hour parts on a very long, very well told story. Any of these documentaries would benefit from having ten hours of footage but all of them are standard length. Nonetheless, OJ Made in America is a brilliantly made American epic. DuVernay’s 13th is really changing the way people look at history, which makes it important too.
From Variety:
Best Documentary – Theatrical Feature
“O.J.: Made in America”
Best Director – Theatrical Feature
Ezra Edelman (“O.J.: Made in America”)
Best Documentary – TV/Streaming
“13th”
Best Director – TV/Streaming
Ava DuVernay (“13th”)
Best First Documentary – Theatrical Feature
Jack Kriegman, Elyse Steinberg (“Weiner”)
Best First Documentary – TV/Streaming
TIE – Jacob Bernstein, Nick Hooker (“Everything Is Copy”) and Deborah Esquenazi (“Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four”)
Best Political Documentary
“13th”
Best Sports Documentary
“O.J.: Made in America”
Best Music Documentary
“The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years”
Best Song in a Documentary
“I’m Still Here” from “Miss Sharon Jones!”
Best Limited Documentary Series
“O.J.: Made in America”
Best Ongoing Documentary Series
“30 for 30”
Most Innovative Documentary
“Tower”
