Oscar announcements today, and while every entertainment sage as well as other media panjandrums across the globe rush to the microphones to give their picayune evaluation on best actors, actresses, films and scripts, I thought I’d highlight the lesser discussed category of best Documentary in long form (given you won’t find much on this with mainstream media).
Last year, if you will remember (or maybe not), the film highlighting Al Gore’s traveling slide show on climate change (An Inconvienient Truth) won best doco. This year, I was kind of hoping the Canadian documentary Sharkwater would get the nomination nod, believing that Green Films were still kind of chic in this day and age of Gaia´s awakening. As well, and more importantly for film makers, Sharkwater has taken the documentary circuit by storm winning literally dozens of prestigious awards.
Well, twas not the case, however an interesting trend this year did develop and that is that all but one of the nominations is a damnation of the current US administration in one form or another (Yes, I meant the rhyme). Although environmentalism would find no place in the doco category this year, it is evident that the Academy is still cheering on advocates who see the need to sound the alarms. And that is what this category SHOULD be about; not some simple forum to celebrate frivolous entertainment, but an award’s category recognizing meaningful critiques of the world made by some of the planet’s most ardent social defenders.
Now, if we can only get more people to watch these brutally honest and at times rather terrifying exposés on America in the 21 century at war with others and at war with itself, then maybe, just maybe, more will wake up from this apathetic and fainéant slumber that that nation has been in for over 7 years.
Expect the right wing blogs to scream murder over the coming days.
Here´s the list of nominations and links to the trailers! Rent, learn and support!
1. Operation home coming - See the Trailer
2. Sicko - See the Trailer
3. War/ Dance - See the Trailer
4. Taxi to the Dark Side - See the Trailer
5. No end in site - See the Trailer
Last year, if you will remember (or maybe not), the film highlighting Al Gore’s traveling slide show on climate change (An Inconvienient Truth) won best doco. This year, I was kind of hoping the Canadian documentary Sharkwater would get the nomination nod, believing that Green Films were still kind of chic in this day and age of Gaia´s awakening. As well, and more importantly for film makers, Sharkwater has taken the documentary circuit by storm winning literally dozens of prestigious awards.
Well, twas not the case, however an interesting trend this year did develop and that is that all but one of the nominations is a damnation of the current US administration in one form or another (Yes, I meant the rhyme). Although environmentalism would find no place in the doco category this year, it is evident that the Academy is still cheering on advocates who see the need to sound the alarms. And that is what this category SHOULD be about; not some simple forum to celebrate frivolous entertainment, but an award’s category recognizing meaningful critiques of the world made by some of the planet’s most ardent social defenders.
Now, if we can only get more people to watch these brutally honest and at times rather terrifying exposés on America in the 21 century at war with others and at war with itself, then maybe, just maybe, more will wake up from this apathetic and fainéant slumber that that nation has been in for over 7 years.
Expect the right wing blogs to scream murder over the coming days.
Here´s the list of nominations and links to the trailers! Rent, learn and support!
1. Operation home coming - See the Trailer
2. Sicko - See the Trailer
3. War/ Dance - See the Trailer
4. Taxi to the Dark Side - See the Trailer
5. No end in site - See the Trailer
1 comment:
Thank you for the outstanding posts!
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