According to the announcement, 145 films were submitted for consideration and the list was narrowed down to 15 films that could earn nominations. Among the films is Weiner, a documentary chronicling disgraced New York Congressman Anthony Weiner’s mayoral campaign in the context of the current political landscape, as well as Zero Days, about the infamous Stuxnet computer virus allegedly created by the U.S. and Israel; and O.J.: Made in America, about the highly publicized murder trial of former professional football player O.J. Simpson.
The full list of finalists for Academy Award nominations in the “Best Documentary Feature” category consists of the following projects and the companies that produced them:
Cameraperson, Big Mouth Productions
Command and Control, American Experience Films/PBS
The Eagle Huntress, Stacey Reiss Productions, Kissiki Films and 19340 Productions
Fire at Sea, Stemal Entertainment
Gleason, Dear Rivers Productions, Exhibit A and IMG Films
Hooligan Sparrow, Little Horse Crossing the River
I Am Not Your Negro, Velvet Film
The Ivory Game, Terra Mater Film Studios and Vulcan Productions
Life, Animated, Motto Pictures and A&E IndieFilms
O.J.: Made in America, Laylow Films and ESPN Films
13th, Forward Movement
Tower, Go-Valley
Weiner, Edgeline Films
The Witness, The Witnesses Film
Zero Days, Jigsaw Productions
Of the 15 films contending for nominations, five will be chosen by the Documentary Branch of the Academy to becomes Oscar nominees. The full list of official nominations for the 89th Annual Academy Awards will be announced Tuesday, January 24, 2017.
The upcoming Academy Awards will be held Sunday, February 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. the ceremony will be broadcast live on ABC, with the program kicking off at 7 p.m. ET that day.
