The Academy has revealed the 15 titles to advance in the race for feature documentary, and four of them are women-directed or co-directed, amounting to nearly 27 percent of the contenders. The five films selected as nominees won’t be unveiled until January 24, but we now know that Kirsten Johnson’s “Cameraperson,” Nanfu Wang’s “Hooligan Sparrow,” Ava DuVernay’s “13th,” and “Weiner,” co-directed by Elyse Steinberg, are all still in the running.
“Cameraperson” is a curated collection of extraordinary footage that Johnson has assembled over her 20 year career in the industry, working primarily as a cinematographer. The visual memoir is unnarrated, and draws from both Johnson’s professional life and personal life. Her mother, who is suffering with Alzheimer’s Disease, features prominently. The feature transports viewers to international locations as varied as a remote village, war zone, and an abortion clinic. “Cameraperson” was named the grand prize winner of Sheffield Doc/Fest.
Wang told Women and Hollywood that “Hooligan Sparrow” was filmed “on the run with hidden cameras, pocket recorders, and a camera built into a pair of glasses” to tell “the shocking story of the fight for human rights in China from its front lines.” The doc follows human rights advocate Ye Haiyan — known better as Hooligan Sparrow — as she rallies a group of activists around a legal case in China. A principal sexually abused schoolgirls and, according to Wang, was “poised to receive [a] light [sentence]” given the severity of the crimes. So Sparrow and Co. fought back — and faced consequences, including being arrested and evicted, for standing up to government corruption and sexual violence against women. Their protest went viral.
“Getting the footage out of China was one of the biggest challenges,” Wang revealed to Women and Hollywood. “Because we were constantly on the run, I couldn’t leave my hard drives anywhere. I carried all of my footage with me everywhere I went. I was always afraid that my footage would be seized and destroyed, or that it would be seen by the authorities and used against my subjects.”
“13th” investigates the connection between mass-incarceration and slavery in the U.S. “It’s been a topic that I’ve always thought about, even when I was a little girl,” DuVernay told Women and Hollywood. “Growing up in Compton, there was a heavy police presence. I would always see cops on my block. The interactions weren’t positive, as I’d see officers interacting with the citizens in my community. Much more negative encounters than positive, which I think is interesting. As a child, when I think back, most folks in this country who don’t live in black or brown communities regard the cops [with] a sense of safety. Imagine growing up and feeling just the opposite when you see an officer. That’s a real, completely different way to move through the world.” The doc was the first ever non-fiction film to open the New York Film Festival.
“Weiner” is a portrait of disgraced NY politician Anthony Weiner’s mayoral campaign. “I always wanted to tell a character-driven verité documentary, and when the opportunity came along to film with Anthony, I knew it was something we could not pass down,” Steinberg explained to Women and Hollywood. “It has been said that those that are the most exposed are the least revealed and that was certainly the case with Anthony’s story. I was excited to tell a more nuanced and complex story of a person who had been reduced to a caricature and punchline.” “Weiner” took home the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, where it made its World Premiere.
The 89th Academy Awards will take place February 26, 2017.
