Documentary Oscar Contenders 2009

Although I used the term contenders, it is not to be confused with its usual application to boxing, the NCAA tournament, online gambling, or any other sport where something is at stake. No a new year has begun so therefore there are new contenders for the shiny, naked golden man - The Academy Awards aka The Oscars.

Before this article takes its dutiful serious turn and for your pure amusement, imagine if The Academy Awards ceremony was a contact sport much like rugby or boxing. Would you see Sean Penn or Leonardo Di Caprio dash to the stage and closeline Mickey Rourke for having stolen their chance to win the coveted prize? Or would they let out their inner Joker by threatening to put a smile on academy voters' faces? The Oscars may appear to be completely congenial on the outside, but what's boils under the surface may just cause the glitzy ceremony to transform into a contact sport that millions of viewers bet on.

Like I said, that last paragraph was a random thought that came to me on the spur of the moment, so if it seems like it doesn't connect the dots, you're right, it doesn't.

This year's nominations or (contenders) for Best Documentary Feature and Best Documentary Short are now in. With the less than a month to go until the winners are announced, let's take a look at the nominees and I will give you my predictions for this year's winners.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

1. The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
2. Encounters at the End of the World
3. The Garden
4. Man on Wire
5. Trouble the Water

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

1. The Conscience of Nhem En
2. The Final Itch
3. Smile Pinki
4. The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306

2009 OSCAR PREDICTIONS

Best Doc Feature: Man on Wire





Considering that Man on Wire already won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2008 and the Critics Choice Award this year, it seems to be the favorite, though I always think Herzog's films are astonishing and Encounters at the End of the World is no exception. Man on Wire has been the most talked about documentary for its ability to inform and entertain at the same time, so it has reached a wider audience giving it that extra push to victory.

Best Doc Short: The Conscience of Nhem En




In this category I decided to go with an old Academy favorite - Steven Okazaki has previously been nominated three times and won for his film Days of Waiting. He is the only director who has experienced the Oscars before and his film The Conscience of Nhem En deals with an emotional controversy surrounding Cambodian citizens who were photographed prior to being executed. So Steven has to things going for him: powerful content and previous nominations.