Of the numerous films submitted to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, these fifteen films have been selected for the short list from which voting members will choose five nominees for Best Documentary Oscar of 2010.
The Beaches of Agnes
Cine Tamaris
Director: Agnes Varda. The legendary French filmmaker revisits her childhood, presents footage of her young womanhood and tells of the start of her career as a photographer and cinematographer, of her eventual marriage to French New Wave director Jacques Demy and motherhood, and brings us up to the present. Mme Varda is 80 years old and she's still going strong. Very strong.
Burma VJ
Director: Anders Østergaard. Using footage shot secretly with hidden cameras by a group of brave videographers and smuggled out of the country, this film tells the story of the Burmese people's struggle for freedom.The Cove
Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions
Director: Louis Psihoyos. The dramatic and shocking expose of the ongoing slaughter of dolphins by the Japanese fishing community of Taijin.
Every Little Step
Sony Pictures Classics
Directors: James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo. The behind-the-scenes reveal of casting and rehearsing for the rebirth of the Broadway classic musical A Chorus Line.
Facing Ali
Director: Pete McCormick. Ten of Muhammad Ali's former rivals pay tribute to the three-time world heavyweight champion.Food, Inc.
Participant Media
Director: Robert Kenner. Food, Inc. investigates the industrial production and distribution of food in the United States by large multinational corporations.
Garbage Dreams
Iskander Films
Director: Mai Iskander. The film follows three teenage Egyptian boys who eke out a living by scavanging garbage, but who dream of finding their way to a cleaner, easier way of life. They are members of the Coptic Christian 'Zabelleen,' the community of garbage collectors whose traditional way of life is rapidly being extinguished.
