The Documentaries Are Celebrated At The Academy During Oscar Week

“From documentaries, we learn about our world and humanity,” was the greeting by Documentary Branch governor Kate Amend to the audience in the Samuel Goldwyn Theater on Wednesday evening at the opening of Documentary program. Amend said while this year’s nominated shorts were tragic, they were also about “courage and compassion.”

Referring to the Documentary Shorts as “The Big Shorts,” Amend (editor of The Long Way Home, Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport and The Case against 8) mentioned that 124 films qualified in both the Documentary Feature and Documentary Short Subject categories.

The evening included a screening of clips from the nominated films. Nominees from all 10 films also took part in panel discussions talked about their own films and shared insights on the craft of documentary filmmaking. All the directors gratefully acknowledged the collaboration of the cinematographers and editors in the success of their movies.

Best Documentary Short

“Body Team 12”

David Darg and Bryn Mooser

In Monrovia, Liberia, Garmai Sumo is the only female member of Body Team 12, one of the many teams collecting the bodies of those who died from Ebola during the height of the 2014 outbreak. Despite the perilous nature of her job and the distrust with which she is often met, Garmai remains dedicated to her work.

When asked what impressed him most about the doctors and medical teams fighting the virus, Darg said, “I was blown away by the strength of those under the protective gear. I wanted to tell the story of the people who go in to battle Ebola.” He went onto say, “I wanted to give a glimpse into the level of anxiety.” Both filmmakers remarked about the tough and high stress working conditions. “I had to go into quarantine when the film was done so oddly enough it was edited during that time.”

“Chau, beyond the Lines” (7th Art Releasing)

Courtney Marsh and Jerry Franck

Chau, a teenager living in a Vietnamese care center for children born with birth defects due to Agent Orange, struggles with the difficulties of realizing his dream to become a professional artist and clothing designer. Despite being told that his ambitions are unrealistic, Chau is determined to live an independent, productive life.

The filmmakers spent eight years on the documentary on Chau and his story arc was so powerful that it was an obvious choice to follow him. Marsh mentioned during the Q&A, “he taught me a lot. He knew what he wanted to do and exceeded expectations and focuses on his work. From our 13 minutes came a school that supports 300 kids. They now have a program for orphaned kids.”

“Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah”

Adam Benzine

Thirty years after the release of the documentary SHOAH, filmmaker Claude Lanzmann discusses the personal and professional difficulties he encountered during the more than 12 years it took to create the work. Lanzmann also discusses his relationships with Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre, and his teenage years spent fighting in the French Resistance during World War II.

“I wanted to tell the story of this 85 year old man,” exclaimed Benzine of his film. On his Oscar-nominated documentary the director added, “Because of the tragic circumstances it wasn’t always a smooth interview and sometimes he was reluctant, but it was truly the making of Claude Lanzmann.”

“A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness”

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

Every year, more than 1,000 girls and women are the victims of religiously motivated honor killings in Pakistan, especially in rural areas.

“Every year a 1,000 girls are killed in Pakistan in these honor killings – its actually much higher,” said director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy about the story of eighteen-year-old Saba, who fell in love and eloped, was targeted by her father and uncle but survived to tell her story. “She’s a survivor and wanted to tell her story so that no other girl has to go through this. She is wise beyond her years.” Obaid-Chinoy also added that Pakistan has drafted a law to do away with the “forgiveness” law that basically sets the perpetrators free without any prison time.

“Last Day of Freedom”

Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman

When Bill Babbitt realized that his brother Manny had committed a crime, he agonized over the decision to call the police, knowing that Manny could face the death penalty but hoping he would instead receive the help he needed. Manny, an African-American veteran who served two tours in Vietnam, suffered from PTSD and had found it difficult to obtain healthcare.

The women filmmakers wanted to tell a story of individual crisis and to have audiences look at the issues. “Our subject was awarded the Purple Heart and was executed on his 50^th birthday. The film’s title is about Bill’s and Manny’s last day of freedom.” They effectively utilized animation for the subject’s anonymity, to give some distance and intimacy to their sobering story.

Documentary (Short Subject) nominees Jerry Franck and Courtney Marsh, “Chau, Beyond the Lines”, Adam Benzine, “Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah”, Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman, “Last Day of Freedom”, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, “A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness” and Bryn Mooser and David Darg, “Body Team 12”prior to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Oscar Week: DOCUMENTARIES event

Documentary (Feature) nominees Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees, “Amy”, Matthew Heineman and Tom Yellin, “Cartel Land”, Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sørensen, “The Look of Silence”, Liz Garbus, Amy Hobby and Justin Wilkes, “What Happened, Miss Simone?” and Evgeny Afineevsky and Den Tolmor, “Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom”, during the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Oscar Week: DOCUMENTARIES event

Filmmaker Joan Churchill hosted the nominated Documentary Features.

Best Documentary Feature

“Amy” (A24)

Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees

British singer Amy Winehouse, a six-time Grammy® winner who died at the age of 27 in 2011 from the cumulative effects of substance abuse, had a turbulent life after her powerful singing voice was discovered and she was propelled to fame. Her strong personality, complicated marriage to Blake Fielder-Civil and love-hate relationship with the press are reflected in her music.

The director remarked that in order for the film to work those involved had to be willing to talk otherwise AMY wouldn’t have worked. He add, “since they film is largely based on archival footage, we kept it as small as possible. It was a traumatic film to make because people were gunning for us.” Gay-Rees added AMY is ultimately a film about “parenting.”

“Cartel Land” (The Orchard)

Matthew Heineman and Tom Yellin

On opposite sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, two vigilante groups led by men staunch in their belief that they are saving their countries, fight against Mexican drug cartels. In Arizona, military veteran Tim “Nailer” Foley leads a paramilitary group called Arizona Border Recon, while in the Mexican state of Michoacán, Dr. Jose Mireles organizes the citizens rising up against the Knights Templar cartel.

During the reception beforehand, I spoke with the film’s editors. Both praised the film and called it a “great thing.” It took Matthew Hamachek and Bradley J. Ross a year of editing to cut the film from seven hours down to 90 minutes. The editing team used Final Cut Pro 7 on the Oscar-nominated documentary. Both had nothing but praise for the ingenuity of director Matthew Heineman. “There was such a tenacity and fearlessness to Matthew to bring the story to the screen,” remarked the editors.

During the Q&A, Heineman said, “I ended up with a completely different story than I started with. We started filming in 2013 and by the time we were done the lines blurred because I didn’t know who was who.” The director concluded on his film, “Trust was everything. I wanted to tell the story by putting a human face on it.”

“The Look of Silence” (Drafthouse Films/Participant Media)

Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sørensen

Optometrist Adi was born after the 1966 murder of his brother during the genocide in Indonesia. Burdened by his parents’ sorrow, Adi has led a quiet life ruled by fear of the government until he learns the identities of his brother’s killers. Adi confronts the men and asks them to accept responsibility for their actions, thereby ending five decades of silence.

The filmmakers, who had previously worked on THE ACT OF KILLING, remarked that both documentaries were really one film, one project. Both wanted to create a film that showed the ending of five decades of silence for the charater.

“What Happened, Miss Simone?” (Netflix)

Liz Garbus, Amy Hobby and Justin Wilkes

In addition to being a recording artist and powerful presence at her concerts, singer-songwriter Nina Simone was a civil rights activist. With Simone’s determination to live a life of honesty in which her music and politics were paramount, her relationships with her family, friends and collaborators were complicated and frequently difficult.

Both Garbus and Hobby are big proponents of hiring women artists to be on the crews for their movies. All three filmmakers added that Simone changed the landscape with her music. “We wanted to show what happened to Nina Simone.”

“Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom” (Netflix)

Evgeny Afineevsky and Den Tolmor

During three months in 2013 and 2014, student demonstrations in Kiev’s Maidan Square developed into a revolution by diverse groups of people calling for the resignation of President Viktor Yanukovych. Hoping for stronger ties to the European Union, protesters fought against government military forces to oppose Yanukovych’s efforts to ally with Russia.

The final Q&A of the night was with the Afineevsky and Tolmor on their impactful doc. “We wanted to expose the events that were spontaneous and we wanted to cover every angle and aspect.” The director went on to say, “there was humanity in the middle of warfield, even towards the enemy. There was a unity between the groups. It’s also a story of patriotism and bravery. Ultimately it was the price of freedom and democracy.”

From Left: Documentary (Feature) nominees Den Tolmor and Evgeny Afineevsky, “Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom”, James Gay-Rees and Asif Kapadia, “Amy”, Signe Byrge Sørensen and Joshua Oppenheimer, “The Look of Silence”, Justin Wilkes, Liz Garbus and Amy Hobby, “What Happened, Miss Simone?” and Tom Yellin and Matthew Heineman, “Cartel Land” prior to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Oscar Week: DOCUMENTARIES event

See All Oscar Week Events

February 23: Shorts

February 24: Documentaries

February 25: Feature Animation

February 27: Foreign Language Film

February 27: Makeup and Hairstyling Symposium

The 88th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.