The Critics Choice Documentary Awards announced their nominees this afternoon, and Sara Dosa’s volcano-set love story “Fire of Love” led the field with seven nominations, including best documentary feature and director.
However, the most critically-acclaimed non-fiction film of the year, Laura Poitras’ “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” wasn’t nominated for Best Doc. Poitras did garner a Best Director nod. If you remember, it was the only film this year to be selected for the four major fall festivals (Telluride, Toronto, Venice, New York).
Best Documentary Feature
“Aftershock”
“The Automat”
“Descendant”
“Fire of Love”
“Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down”
“Good Night Oppy”
“The Janes”
“Moonage Daydream”
“Navalny”
“Sidney”
Maybe Poitras’ film underperformed because of how few of the voters actually saw the movie? It’s only being released in November. Then again, Poitras managed to be one of ten filmmakers to get a Best Director nod, so who knows.
After winning the Golden Lion at Venice, some figured that Poitras’ “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” had a shot at getting a Best Picture nod. Of course, it was all wishful thinking as it never really stood a chance.
I started doubting its Oscar odds when I saw “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” at TIFF. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very good film, one tracing photography artist Nan Goldin’s life and her fight against the Sackler family.
The thing about Poitras’ doc is that it never really should have won the Golden Lion. There were far better films in competition at Venice such as Martin McDonagh’s “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Todd Field‘s “TÁR,” and Alice Diop’s “ Saint Omer.”