The Touchy Awards
Recently, The Wrap published an article pointing out the recent additions to both the Oscar nominees for docs as well as the Documentary Theatrical Motion Picture award from the Producers Guild of America.
The article points out the lack of nomination for two films that screened well and gained a large following, but had subjects which some may find a bit touchy at times. This speaks to a vein of atmosphere in the awards season that must always, at the end of the day, play to certain norms before attempting to sneak in a hidden gem that may or may not deserve praise.
The docs in question are The Interrupters by Steve James and Werner Herzog’s Into the Abyss, which The Wrap points out touch on hard issues. Whether or not their subject matter played into a nomination as much as the quality of the films could be debated one way or another with no clear answer in the end, but its worth noting going into yet another award season.
The full list of PGA DTMP award nominees:
Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest
Bill Cunningham New York
Project Nim
Senna
The Union
You can read the full The Wrap article here.