In this morning’s roundup of Oscar news ‘n’ notes from around the web, documentaries get a boost from Sundance, and aim for a bigger boost from the Academy.
Can a documentary be nominated for Best Picture? The Hollywood Reporter’s sub-head (“A documentary has never been nominated for best picture, but this year might change that”) suggests that it could happen, though Gregg Kilday takes a more sensible stance in his article: “Good luck,” he says to “Waiting for ‘Superman,’” “Inside Job” (left), “Babies” and the others hoping to make history. He thinks that one of the problems is documentary filmmakers’ aversion to self-promotion – obviously, he’s not talking about Michael Moore here – though I think it’s much more a matter of something else he touches on: numbers. To get a Best Picture nomination you need a lot of people putting you at the top or near the top of the ballot, and that means that you’ve got to get a good number of those 6,000 voters to watch your movie. Until a doc can become a must-see movie that at least a couple thousand of those members feel compelled to pop into their DVD players – a status that I don’t see any of this year’s competitors attaining, regardless of their quality – no work of non-fiction filmmaking is likely to win that nomination. (The Race)
Speaking of docs, Robert Redford has quietly revealed that the Sundance Film Festival, long a key outlet for non-fiction film, will add a “documentary premiere section” devoted to the work of first-time filmmakers. Redford mentioned the new section in a blog post, Peter Knegt noticed it, and we’ll know which films will be featured in a week, when the festival announces its 2011 lineup. (indieWIRE)
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which was supposed to be lending more weight this year to studios’ wishes when it comes to the Golden Globes categories in which films compete, is apparently acting ornery. Tom O’Neil gets the info on “Nowhere Boy” and “Country Strong,” both of which the HFPA has slotted into the drama category even though the Weinstein Company and Screen Gems asked that they be considered in the comedy or musical category, which in past years has included the likes of “Ray,” “Walk the Line” and “La Vie en Rose.” The ruling is a particular blow to “Nowhere Boy,” which reportedly was well-liked by HFPA members. (Awards Tracker)
If Tea Partiers can get Bristol Palin into the finals of “Dancing with the Stars,” it stands to reason that Twihards should be able to get Kristen Stewart an Oscar nomination. Right? Mary Skawinski points to a grassroots campaign organized by a Stewart-Robert Pattinson fansite to raise enough money to by “for your consideration” ads on behalf of Stewart and “Welcome to the Rileys” costars James Gandolfini and Melissa Leo. They want to raise $50,000 by mid-December; as of early Wednesday, they were only $49,770 short. (Pattz-Stew Global)
