Oscars shortlist: All the Asian-led documentary features and shorts that made the cut
December 22, 2022
On Wednesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
For the Documentary Feature Film shortlist, 15 works were selected from 144 eligible in the category. In the Documentary Short Film category, 15 works were chosen from 98 eligible films.
There are a few notable Asian-led projects from the Documentary Feature Film shortlist. The film “Nhung Dua Tre Trong Suong,” or “Children of the Mist,” marks the first time a Vietnamese film has ever made the Oscars shortlist.
“Children of the Mist” is a 90-minute documentary narrated by a young Hmong girl living in Sa Pa. Directed by Ha Le Diem, the documentary centers around the tension between children and traditional customs in a modern world.
“All That Breathes,” from director Shaunak Sen, follows two brothers operating a bird hospital in New Delhi, India.
David Siev’s “Bad Axe” centers around an Asian American family in 2020 rural Michigan struggling to keep their restaurant dreams alive.
“Hidden Letters,” from directors Violet Du Feng and Qing Zhao, is about two independent millennial Chinese women navigating modern and patriarchal society while balancing their traditional identities and language of Nushu.
Asian-led works in the Documentary Short Film include the documentary “38 at the Garden,” which celebrates Jeremy Lin and “Linsanity”; “As Far As They Can Run,” which is about disabled children in rural Pakistan; “The Elephant Whisperers,” which follows a couple in South India who raise an orphan elephant named Raghu; and “Happiness is £4 million,” a short film about a journalist and China’s biggest real estate titan’s views on the world.
The 95th annual Oscars will be held on March 12, 2023, with Jimmy Kimmel as host. The full shortlist for Documentary Feature Film and Documentary Short Film are as follows:
Documentary Feature Film
“All That Breathes”
Documentary Feature Film
“All That Breathes”
“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed”
“Bad Axe”
“Children of the Mist”
“Descendant”
“Fire of Love”
“Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song”
“Hidden Letters”
“A House Made of Splinters”
“The Janes”
“Last Flight Home”
“Moonage Daydream”
“Navalny”
“Retrograde”
“The Territory”
Documentary Short Film
“American Justice on Trial: People v. Newton”
“American Justice on Trial: People v. Newton”
“Anastasia”
“Angola Do You Hear Us? Voices from a Plantation Prison”
“As Far as They Can Run”
“The Elephant Whisperers”
“The Flagmakers”
“Happiness Is £4 Million”
“Haulout”
“Holding Moses”
“How Do You Measure a Year?”
The Martha Mitchell Effect
“Nuisance Bear”
“Shut Up and Paint”
“Stranger at the Gate”
“38 at the Garden”
In related news, Pakistan, Cambodia, India and South Korea all had films shortlisted for the International Feature Film category.
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