My Best Documentary Winners
This list details the films I feel should have won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature from 1942 through the present. My choices are purely opinion and largely reflect only those movies which I have seen, so my opinions, and subsequently this list, may change as time goes by and I see more films. I have also included whether or not my winner was nominated and/or won the Academy Award as well as the other films/actors/directors I would have nominated alongside my winner in PREFERENTIAL ORDER, though I do not have 4 nominees (5 in total) every single year until 1964. I also, like the Academy, have chosen not to give out an award for 1946. I do not have the time to write explanations for all of my choices so leave polite, mature feedback/comments and I'll be happy to justify my choices to the best of my ability.
Note: For Nominees, * denotes category winner and ** denotes category winner for actual Academy Awards.
Note: For Nominees, * denotes category winner and ** denotes category winner for actual Academy Awards.
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- DirectorJohn FordStarsHenry FondaJane DarwellLogan RamseyThe Japanese attack on Midway in June 1942, filmed as it happened.Year: 1942
Director: John Ford
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes (tied)
Nominees: **Prelude to War; **Moscow Strikes Back; **Kokoda Front Line!; Listen to Britain - DirectorJames AlgarClyde GeronimiJack KinneyStarsAlexander de SeverskyArt BakerBilly MitchellAn animated documentary promoting of the soundness of strategic aerial bombing in World War II.Year: 1943
Director: Perce Pearce (with H.C. Potter, James Algar, Clyde Geronimi, and Jack Kinney)
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: No
Nominees: **Desert Victory; *The Battle of Russia; The Battle of Britain; *Report from the Aleutians - DirectorEdward SteichenWilliam WylerStarsRobert TaylorCharles BoyerJoseph J. ClarkAn in-depth look at aircraft carrier combat operations during World War II. Real combat footage. Very strong and compelling.Year: 1944
Director: Edward Steichen
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: The Battle of China; *Resisting Enemy Interrogation - DirectorGarson KaninCarol ReedStarsDwight D. EisenhowerLeslie BanksWinston ChurchillA documentary account of the allied invasion of Europe during World War II compiled from the footage shot by nearly 1400 cameramen.Year: 1945
Director: Carol Reed
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *The Last Bomb; The Battle of San Pietro; War Comes to America; A Diary for Timothy - DirectorRichard FleischerStarsKent SmithHans ConriedAn Academy Award winner for best documentary, the film opens with a notice that..."Exhibition of confiscated Japanese film material authorized by permission of the Alien Property Custodian in the public interest under License No. LM 979"...and was assembled from hundreds of captured newsreels, historical dramas and propaganda films. While revealing the steps that Japan took that led to Pearl Harbor, it goes back 700 years to the feudal caste system, a peasant revolt suppressed after the Samurai murdered over 40,000 people, to Admiral Perry forcibly opening Japan to foreign trade, to the perversion of converting the Shinto religion of nature-worship to that of a fanatic state creed that preached the Japanese were a Master Race and the Emperor was a sun-god to be blindly obeyed. The film carried no credit for a director, while Richard Fleischer shared the Producer credit with Theron Warth.Year: 1947
Director: Richard Fleischer
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *Journey Into Medicine; *The World Is Rich - DirectorSidney MeyersStarsGary MerrillDonald ThompsonClarence CooperA documentary account of the rehabilitation at the Wiltwyck School of an emotionally disturbed Black boy who is unwanted, misunderstood, and inwardly tortured.Year: 1948
Director: Sidney Meyers
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: **The Secret Land; Seal Island - DirectorTerry BishopStarsE.R. ChadwickHarford AnerobiFanny ElumezeThis 47-minute documentary, financed by HRH's government, won an Oscar in the special category, and most of it was later edited into a 1953 two-segment documentary called "Savage World" by the same crew of film-makers listed on this film. The story here is about an African tribe that is working to build a maternity hospital, with the aid of government officials, and against the opposition of some tribal members.Year: 1949
Director: Terry Bishop
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominee: *Kenji Comes Home - DirectorRobert J. FlahertyRichard LyfordCurt OertelStarsFredric MarchThe life and works of the great artist Michelangelo Buonarroti are shown against the historical background of his time. It begins with his earliest artworks, and follows his life and career as he achieves lasting fame. The documentary includes detailed looks at some of the artist's most renowned creations.Year: 1950
Director: Robert J. Flaherty, Richard Lyford, and Curt Oertel
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *With These Hands - DirectorThor HeyerdahlStarsThor HeyerdahlHerman WatzingerErik HesselbergA documentary about the Kon-Tiki expedition of the Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl.Year: 1951
Director: Thor Heyerdahl
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: None - DirectorIrwin AllenStarsDon ForbesTheodore von EltzOscar-winning documentary based on Rachel L. Carson's pioneering study of ocean life chronicled in her award-winning and best-selling 1951 book of the same name.Year: 1952
Director: Irwin Allen
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *Navajo; *The Hoaxters - DirectorJames AlgarStarsWinston HiblerAlthough first glance reveals little more than stones and sand, the desert is alive. Witness moving rocks, spitting mud pots, gorgeous flowers and the never-ending battle for survival between creatures of every shape, size and description.Year: 1953
Director: James Algar
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *A Queen Is Crowned; *The Conquest of Everest; The Seafarers - DirectorJohn HeyerStarsTom KruseWilliam Henry ButlerJack the DoggerA documentary film which follows a mailman as he travels along the Birdsville Track in the Outback.Year: 1954
Director: John Heyer
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: No
Nominees: **The Vanishing Prairie; The Stratford Adventure - DirectorNancy HamiltonStarsKatharine CornellHelen KellerPolly ThompsonThis documentary chronicles the life of Helen Keller, who was struck by an illness as a young child that left her both blind and deaf. Aided by her devoted teacher, Anne Sullivan, Keller is able to develop ways to communicate and becomes an author and advocate. Made when Keller was 72 years old, this film, directed by Nancy Hamilton and narrated by actress Katharine Cornell, features old and recent footage of Keller as her remarkable journey leads her to meet President Dwight D. Eisenhower.Year: 1955
Director: Nancy Hamilton
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: Night and Fog (Nuit et brouillard); *Crevecoeur (Heartbreak Ridge) - DirectorJacques-Yves CousteauLouis MalleStarsFrédéric DumasAlbert FalcoJacques-Yves CousteauA documentary about the undersea explorers and how they penetrate into the underwater world.Year: 1956
Director: Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Louis Malle
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *The Naked Eye; *Where Mountains Float (Hvor bjergene sejler); The Animal World - DirectorJerome HillStarsBurgess MeredithFredric MarchAlbert SchweitzerThis biographical drama/documentary narrative written by Dr. Albert Schweitzer and spoken by Fredric March, traces the life of Dr. Schweitzer (with actors playing the characters), from his birth in France up to about the age of 30 when he makes the decision to go to French Equatorial Africa and build his jungle hospital. The latter half of the film encompasses a full day in the hospital-village following the 80s-plus Samaritan in his daily rounds.Year: 1957
Director: Jerome Hill
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *On the Bowery; *Torero - DirectorJames AlgarStarsWinston HiblerVolmer SørensenThe wildlife of the arctic is explored in this true-life adventure.Year: 1958
Director: James Algar
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *The Hidden World; *Antarctic Crossing; *Psychiatric Nursing - DirectorBernhard GrzimekStarsBernhard GrzimekHolger HagenHermann RockmannThe borders of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania were initially drawn without considering the herds of grass-eating wild animals. The recording of seasonal animal movements by the film team at the end of the 1950s forms the framework for action, so that based on this work, new boundaries of the park could be determined in such a way, that the most important animal populations are protected all year round. The beauty of the savannah landscape and the sideways glance at numerous wild animal species living there, some of which were presented to a broader audience for the first time in this film, fill this nature documentary.Year: 1959
Director: Bernard Grzimek
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *The Race for Space; *From Generation to Generation - DirectorRobert DrewStarsRobert DrewHubert H. HumphreyMuriel Buck HumphreyCinéma vérité feature that follows presidential hopefuls John F. Kennedy and Hubert H. Humphrey during the 1960 Wisconsin primary.Year: 1960
Director: Robert Drew
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: No
Nominees: **The Horse with the Flying Tail; Chronicle of Summer (Chronique d'un ete); *Rebel in Paradise - DirectorPierre-Dominique GaisseauStarsGerard DelloyeTony SaulnierHerve de MaigretIn September, 1959, six Europeans leave Cook's Bay on the southern coast of Dutch New Guinea, now West Papua or Irian Jaya, to trek north to the far side of the island. The journey (450 miles, as a crow flies) across unmapped territory took seven months; three Muyu porters died. Near both coasts, the expedition met villagers who invited them to observe rituals and live with them. In the interior, all villagers kept them at bay, and they depended on air lifts from Hollandia for food and supplies. They climbed above 10,000 feet, built 14 bridges, and fought leeches and malaria. The narrator focuses on describing Stone Age savages, headhunters, and cannibals.Note: Title translates Sky Above and Mud Beneath
Year: 1961
Director: Pierre Dominique Gaisseau
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominee: *The Grand Olympics (La grande olimpiade) - DirectorLouis Clyde StoumenStarsMarlene DietrichAdolf HitlerThe rise and fall of Nazi Germany in part through the use of classical allegory.Year: 1962
Director: Louis Clyde Stoumen
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominee: *Alvorada - DirectorMarshall FlaumStarsRichard BasehartA documentary--nominated for an Academy Award--about the American involvement in World War I.Year: 1963
Director: Marshall Flaum
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: **Robert Frost: A Lover's Quarrel with the World; *The Link and the Chain (Le maillon et la chaine) - DirectorPaul AlmondStarsDouglas KeayBruce BaldenJacqueline BassettIn this the first installment, we get a chance to meet some of the individuals who took on the responsibility of the 7 Up project, 21-years-ago - Tony, Bruce, Suzi, Nick and Peter.Year: 1964
Director: Paul Almond
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: No
Nominees: Point of Order; **World Without Sun (Le monde sans soleil); *Four Days in November; *Alleman - DirectorLaurence E. MascottStarsArthur KennedyHitler's last offensive in 1944 in the Ardennes, with which he desperately tried to stop the allies thereof, to reach Antwerp.Year: 1965
Director: Laurence E. Mascott
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: *Let My People Go: The Story of Israel; **The Eleanor Roosevelt Story; *The Forth Road Bridge; *To Die in Madrid (Mourir a Madrid) - DirectorPeter WatkinsStarsMichael AspelPeter GrahamDave BaldwinA docudrama depicting a hypothetical nuclear attack on Britain.Year: 1966
Director: Peter Watkins
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *Le volcan interdit; *Helicopter Canada; *The Face of a Genius; Castro Street - DirectorFrederick WisemanDocumentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman takes us inside the Massachusetts Correctional Institution Bridgewater where people stay trapped in their madness.Year: 1967
Director: Frederick Wiseman
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: No
Nominees: Warrendale; **The Anderson Platoon (Le section Anderson); *A Time for Burning; *A King's Story - DirectorBill McGawStarsCarl RogersRichard FarsonJerryThe film portrays a 16-hour group-therapy session for eight well-adjusted people who had never met before.Year: 1968
Director: Tom Skinner
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *Legendary Champions; High School; *Other Voices; *A Few Notes on Our Food Problem - DirectorRobert K. SharpeA group of poor people in Raleigh County, West Virginia organize when strip mining is damaging their houses and community. They work to get the state legislature to pass some strong laws protecting citizens against coal mining interests.Year: 1969
Director: Robert K. Sharpe
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: *In the Year of the Pig; Salesman; **Arthur Rubinstein - The Love of Life; *The Olympics in Mexico (Olimpiada en Mexico) - DirectorMichael WadleighStarsJoan BaezRichie HavensRoger DaltreyOscar-winning musical chronicle that brilliantly captures the three-day rock concert and celebration of peace and love that became a capstone for the Sixties.Year: 1970
Director: Michael Wadleigh
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: Let It Be; *King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis; *Jack Johnson; Gimme Shelter - DirectorMarcel OphülsStarsHelmut TausendMarcel VerdierAlexis GraveAn in-depth exploration of the various reactions by the French people to the Vichy government's acceptance of the German invasion.Year: 1971
Director: Marcel Ophuls
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: *On Any Sunday; Land of Silence and Darkness; **The Hellstrom Chronicle; *The Ra Expeditions - DirectorWinterfilm CollectiveStarsRusty SachsJoe BangertScott ShimabukuroFor three days in 1971, former US soldiers who were in Vietnam testify in Detroit about their war experiences. Nearly 30 speak, describing atrocities personally committed or witnessed, telling of inaccurate body counts, and recounting the process of destroying a village. The atrocities are casual, seem routine, and are sanctioned or committed by officers. Images from the war illustrate the testimony; there's a side discussion among veterans about racism and a couple of interviews about the soldiers' self-realization. The testimony appears in the US Congressional Record on April 6 and 7, 1971. A "winter soldier" contrasts with Paine's "summer soldier and sunshine patriot."Year: 1972
Director: Winterfilm Collective (Rusty Sachs, Barbara Kopple, Fred Aranow, Nancy Baker, Joe Bangert, Rhetta Barron, Robert Fiore, David Gillis, David Grubin, Jeff Holstein, Barbara Jarvis, Al Kaupas, Mark Lenix, Michael Lesser, Nancy Miller, Lee Osborne, Lucy Massie Phenix, Roger Phenix, Benay Rubenstein, and Michael Weil)
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: No
Nominees: *Malcolm X; *Manson; **Marjoe; *Ape and Super-Ape (Bij de beesten af) - DirectorKieth MerrillStarsLarry MahanPhil LyneJoel McCreaA documentary about the rivalry between veteran Larry Mahan and newcomer Phil Lyne, as the two vie for the National Finals Rodeo Championship title.Year: 1973
Director: Kieth Merrill
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *Journey to the Outer Limits; *Schlacht um Berlin (Battle of Berlin); *Walls of Fire; Bukowski - DirectorPeter DavisStarsTin ChanChau DiemNgo Dinh DiemA startling and courageous landmark documentary that unflinchingly confronted the United States' involvement in Vietnam at the height of the controversy that surrounded it.Year: 1974
Director: Peter Davis
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *Antonia: A Portrait of the Woman; *The 81st Blow; *The Wild and the Brave; *The Challenge... A Tribute to Modern Art - DirectorBruce NyznikStarsYûichirô MiuraShintaro IshiharaTaisuke FujishimaThis Oscar-winning documentary tells the story behind Japanese daredevil Yuichiro Miura's 1970 effort to ski down the world's tallest mountain.Year: 1975
Director: Bruce Nyznik
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *The Incredible Machine; *The California Reich; Protected: The Truth About Palm Island; *The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir - DirectorDavid HelpernStarsWalter BernsteinAlvah BessieLester ColeThe documentary analyzes a dark period in Hollywood's history due to the Red Scare of the 1940's and 1950's, when actors, writers and directors were persecuted and investigated by the House of Un-American Activities Committee after being considered suspects of committing Anti-American acts by preaching the Communism in their films and television shows.Year: 1976
Director: David Helpern
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: **Harlan County, USA; Grey Gardens; The Memory of Justice; *Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry - DirectorJohn KortyStarsKim AtwoodMarty AtwoodMike AtwoodDorothy and Bob DeBolt's tale of the struggles and joys involved in their 19 adopted children, many of who are physically disabled war orphans.Year: 1977
Director: John Korty
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *High Grass Circus; Pumping Iron; *Homage to Chagall: The Colours of Life; *The Children of THeatre Street - DirectorErrol MorrisStarsLucille BillingsleyZella GrahamCal HarbertsA documentary about a pet cemetery in California, and the people who have pets buried there.Year: 1978
Director: Errol Morris
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: No
Nominees: **Scared Straight!; *Mysterious Castles of Clay; *Le vent des amoureux (The Lovers' Wind); *Raoni - DirectorIra WohlStarsIra WohlPhilip WohlZero MostelIn this documentary, the director follows the day-to-day activities of his mentally ill, middle-aged cousin Philly, over a three-year period.Year: 1979
Director: Ira Wohl
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: 80 Blocks from Tiffany's; *Going the Distance; *Generation on the Wind; *The War at Home - DirectorJon ElseStarsHans BetheHolm BursomHaakon ChevalierScientists and witnesses involved in the creation and testing of the first ever atomic bomb reflect on the Manhattan project and its fascinating leader, J. Robert Oppenheimer, who upon completion of his wonderful and horrible invention became a powerful spokesperson against the nuclear arms race.Year: 1980
Director: Jon H. Else
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: **From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China; *The Yellow Star - The Persecution of the Jews in Europe 1933-45; *Agee; *Front Line - DirectorKen BurnsStarsPaul RoeblingJulie HarrisArthur MillerThis documentary chronicles the world-famous Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. The difficult construction process is described in interesting detail; later parts of the film interview current notables who describe the effects that the Brooklyn Bridge has had upon New York society and beyond.Year: 1981
Director: Ken Burns
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: **Genocide; The Decline of Western Civilization; Vernon, Florida; *Against Wind and Tide: A Cuban Odyssey - DirectorJohn ZaritskyStarsIan ParkerJim ConwayRaymond HatchOn July 10, 1978, Eric Wilson - a 19-year from Ottawa and student at Tufts University - left home to drive to a summer college course in Colorado. When he went missing four days afterward in Nebraska, his family tried to persuade local and U.S. police that he wasn't simply a runaway and hadn't simply forgotten to call home. The program examines the lengths to which they had to go to find out what happened to Eric, and the byzantine nature of the legal system which seemed less interested in pursuing justice than in avoiding the expenses involved in the investigation and potential trials.Year: 1982
Director: John Zaritsky
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *In Our Water; Burden of Dreams; *Ben's Mill; Poetry in Motion - DirectorRobin AndersonBob ConnollyStarsRichard OxenburghDaniel LeahyMick LeahyYear: 1983
Director: Robin Anderson and Bob Connolly
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: *The Profession of Arms; *Seeing Red; Chicken Ranch; Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance - DirectorMaximilian SchellStarsMarlene DietrichMaximilian SchellAnnie AlbersRetrospective on the career of enigmatic screen diva Marlene Dietrich.Year: 1984
Director: Maximilian Schell
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: **The Times of Harvey Milk; The Silent Scream; *High Schools; *Streetwise - DirectorClaude LanzmannStarsSimon SrebnikMichael PodchlebnikMotke ZaïdlClaude Lanzmann's epic documentary recounts the story of the Holocaust through interviews with witnesses - perpetrators as well as survivors.Year: 1985
Director: Claude Lanzmann
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: No
Nominees: *The Statue of Liberty; **Broken Rainbow; *The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo; *Soldiers in Hiding - DirectorKevin HarrisSharon I. SopherFilmed in secret in 1985 South Africa. Exposes state violence through interviews with victims of and witnesses to atrocities.Year: 1986
Director: Sharon I. Sopher
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: **Artie Shaw: Time Is All You've Got; **Down and Out in America; *Chile: Hasta Cuando?; Huey Long - DirectorKazuo HaraStarsKenzo OkuzakiRiichi AikawaMasaichi HamaguchiA documentary following Kenzo Okuzaki, a 62-year-old WW2 veteran notorious for his protests against Emperor Hirohito, as he tries to expose the needless executions of two Japanese soldiers during the war.Year: 1987
Director: Kazuo Hara
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: No
Nominees: *Radio Bikini; *Eyes on the Prize; *Hellfire: A Journey from Hiroshima; **The Ten-Year Lunch - DirectorErrol MorrisStarsRandall AdamsDavid HarrisGus RoseA film that successfully argued that a man was wrongly convicted for murder by a corrupt justice system in Dallas County, Texas.Year: 1988
Director: Errol Morris
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: No
Nominees: **Hotel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie; *Let's Get Lost; *Who Killed Vincent Chin?; The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years - DirectorAl ReinertStarsJim LovellKen MattinglyRussell SchweickartAn in-depth look at various NASA moon landing missions, starting with Apollo 8.Year: 1989
Director: Al Reinert
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: Roger & Me; *Crack USA: County Under Siege; *Super Chief: The Life and Legacy of Earl Warren; *Adam Clayton Powell - DirectorBarbara KoppleCathy CaplanThomas HanekeStarsLewie AndersonR.J. BergstromRon BergstromRecounts the 1985-86 strike against the Hormel Foods Corporation in Minnesota after its employees' wages and benefits were cut.Year: 1990
Director: Barbara Kopple
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: Echoes from a Somber Empire; *Building Bombs; *Waldo Salt: A Screenwriter's Journey; *Berkeley in the Sixties
Special Mention: The Civil War by Ken Burns - DirectorFax BahrGeorge HickenlooperEleanor CoppolaStarsDennis HopperMartin SheenMarlon BrandoDocumentary that chronicles how Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now (1979) was plagued by extraordinary script, shooting, budget, and casting problems--nearly destroying the life and career of the celebrated director.Year: 1991
Director: Fax Bahr and George Hickenlooper
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: No
Nominees: A Brief History of Time; Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio; Sundown: The Future of Children and Drugs; *The Restless Conscience: Resistance to Hitler Within Germany 1933-1945 - DirectorJoe BerlingerBruce SinofskyStarsDelbert WardRoscoe WardLyman WardThis compelling documentary details the strange-but-true murder trial of Delbert Ward, accused of the mercy killing of his brother in rural upstate NY. This real-life murder mystery won the Audience Award at Sundance.Year: 1992
Director: Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: No
Nominees: *Music for the Movies: Bernard Herrmann; **The Panama Deception; *Fires of Kuwait; *Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II - DirectorChris HegedusD.A. PennebakerStarsJames CarvilleGeorge StephanopoulosHeather BeckelA documentary of the Bill Clinton 1992 presidential campaign and the organization who ran it.Year: 1993
Director: Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: Bells from the Deep: Faith and Superstition in Russia; **I Am Promise: The Children of Stanton Elementary School; *Children of Fate; The Last Party - DirectorSteve JamesStarsWilliam GatesArthur AgeeEmma GatesA film following the lives of two inner-city Chicago boys who struggle to become college basketball players on the road to going professional.Year: 1994
Director: Steve James
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: No
Nominees: Crumb; *D-Day Remembered; **Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision; *A Great Day in Harlem
Special Mention: Baseball by Ken Burns - DirectorJon BlairStarsKenneth BranaghGlenn CloseIsa BaschwitzTells the story of the Frank family and paints a portrait of their brash and free-spirited daughter Anne, perhaps the world's most famous victim of the Holocaust.Year: 1995
Directory: Jon Blair
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: Death for Five Voices; The Gate of Heavenly Peace; *Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dreams; *The Battle Over Citizen Kane - DirectorRob EpsteinJeffrey FriedmanStarsLily TomlinTony CurtisSusie BrightA documentary surveying the various Hollywood screen depictions of homosexuals and the attitudes behind them throughout the history of North American film.Year: 1996
Director: Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: No
Nominees: **When We Were Kings; *Mandela; *The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story; *Tell the Truth and Run: George Seldes and the American Press - DirectorMark Jonathan HarrisStarsMorgan FreemanIsrael LauLivia ShacterThe story of the post World War II Jewish refugee situation from liberation to the establishment of the modern state of Israel.Year: 1997
Director: Mark Jonathan Harris
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *4 Little Girls; *Waco: The Rules of Engagement; *Colors Straight Up; *Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life - DirectorJames MollStarsBill BaschMartin BaschRandolph BrahamIn late 1944, even as they faced imminent defeat, the Nazis expended enormous resources to kill or deport over 425,000 Jews during the "cleansing" of Hungary. This Oscar-winning documentary, executive produced by Steven Spielberg, focuses on the plight of five Hungarian Jews who survived imprisonment in Auschwitz.Year: 1998
Director: James Moll
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *The Farm: Angola, USA; *Regret to Inform; SlamNation; *The Dancemaker - DirectorWim WendersStarsCompay SegundoIbrahim FerrerRubén GonzálezAging Cuban musicians whose talents had been virtually forgotten following Castro's takeover of Cuba, are brought out of retirement by Ry Cooder, who travelled to Havana in order to bring the musicians together, resulting in triumphant performances of extraordinary music, and resurrecting the musicians' careers.Year: 1999
Director: Wim Wenders
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: **One Day in September; My Best Fiend (Mein liebster Fiend - Klaus Kinski); Just Watch Me: Trudeau and the '70s Generation; *Genghis Blues - DirectorAviva KempnerStarsReeve BrennerHank GreenbergWalter MatthauThe life and career of Hank Greenberg, the first major Jewish baseball star in the Major Leagues.Year: 2000
Director: Aviva Kempner
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: No
Nominees: Calle 54; *Scottsboro: An American Tragedy; **Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport; *Long Night's Journey into Day - DirectorGeorge ButlerStarsLiam NeesonJulian AyerJohn BlackborowA retelling of Sir Ernest Shackleton 's ill-fated expedition to Antarctica in 1914-1916, featuring new footage of the actual locations and interviews with surviving relatives of key expedition members, plus archived audio interviews with expedition members, and a generous helping of the footage and still photos shot on the expedition.Year: 2001
Director: George Butler
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: No
Nominees: *Children Underground; *Promises; **Murder on a Sunday Morning (Un coupable ideal); *War Photographer
Special Mention: Jazz by Ken Burns - DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreCharlton HestonMarilyn MansonFilmmaker Michael Moore explores the roots of America's predilection for gun violence.Year: 2002
Director: Michael Moore and Michael Donovan
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *Spellbound; Stevie; Bus 174 (Onibus 174); *Winged Migration (Le peuple migrateur) - DirectorKevin MacdonaldStarsSimon YatesJoe SimpsonBrendan MackeyThe true story of two climbers and their perilous journey up the west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.Year: 2003
Director: Kevin MacDonald
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: No
Nominees: **The Fog of War; *My Architect: A Son's Journey; *Capturing the Friedmans; *The Weather Underground - DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreGeorge W. BushBen AffleckMichael Moore's view on what happened to the United States after September 11 and how the Bush Administration allegedly used the tragic event to push forward its agenda for unjust wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.Year: 2004
Director: Michael Moore
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: No
Nominees: **Born into Brothels; *Super Size Me; *Twist of Faith; The Agronomist - DirectorLuc JacquetStarsMorgan FreemanRomane BohringerCharles BerlingIn the Antarctic, every March since the beginning of time, the quest begins to find the perfect mate and start a family.Year: 2005
Director: Luc Jacquet
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: Grizzly Man; *Murderball; *Enron: The Smartest Guys in to Room; *Darwin's Nightmare - DirectorDavis GuggenheimStarsAl GoreBilly WestGeorge BushFilmmaker Davis Guggenheim follows Al Gore on the lecture circuit, as the former presidential candidate campaigns to raise public awareness of the dangers of global warming and calls for immediate action to curb its destructive effects on the environment.Year: 2006
Director: Davis Guggenheim
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *Iraq in Fragments; *Deliver Us from Evil; *My Country, My Country; *Jesus Camp - DirectorAlex GibneyStarsAlex GibneyBrian Keith AllenMoazzam BeggAlex Gibney exposes the haunting details of the USA's torture and interrogation practices during the War in Afghanistan.Year: 2007
Director: Alex Gibney and Eva Orner
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: *No End in Sight; *Sicko; Body of War; *War/Dance
Special Mention: The War by Ken Burns - DirectorJames MarshStarsPhilippe PetitJean François HeckelJean-Louis BlondeauA look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit's daring, but illegal, high-wire routine performed between New York City's World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974, what some consider, "the artistic crime of the century".Year: 2008
Director: Simon Chinn and James Marsh
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; Yes
Nominees: Waltz with Bashir (Vals Im Bashir); *Encounters at the End of the World; *Trouble the Water; *The Betrayal (Nerakhoon) - DirectorRobert KennerStarsMichael PollanEric SchlosserRichard LobbAn unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry.Year: 2009
Director: Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: Yes; No
Nominees: **The Cove; *Burma VJ; Capitalism: A Love Story; *Which Way Home
Special Mention: The National Parks: America's Best Idea by Ken Burns - DirectorDavis GuggenheimStarsCharles AdamsJonathan AlterRobert BalfanzAn examination of the current state of education in America today.Year: 2010
Director: Davis Guggenheim
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: No
Nominees: Freakonomics; *Exit Through the Gift Shop; *Gasland; **Inside Job - DirectorWerner HerzogStarsWerner HerzogJean ClottesJulien MonneyWerner Herzog gains exclusive access to film inside the Chauvet caves of Southern France and captures the oldest known pictorial creations of humanity.Year: 2011
Director: Werner Herzog
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and if so, did it win?: No
Nominees: The Interrupters; Project Nim; Senna; *Pina