The long build-up to the Oscars has begun, with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announcing the twelve documentaries in contention for a nomination. The Academy has picked out these movies for further viewings by the nominations committee, who will announce the 5 official nominees on January 25, 2005.

Leading the list is undoubtedly Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock's tale of a month spent eating food only from McDonalds. The movie was one of the breakout successes of the Summer, earning over $11.5 million in the US.

Other likely early favorites are Touching the Void - a contraversial pick, since most of the movie is a dramatization - and surfing movie Riding Giants.

The list contains a couple of surprising omissions. Most notable is that in the year of the political documentary, not a single political movie was nominated. Although Fahrenheit 9/11 is not entered in the category, the absence of such movies as Control Room and Voices From Iraq is unexpected.

Other high-grossing movies not on the list include What the #$'! Do We Know, The Corporation and Metallica: Some Kind of Monster.

The full list of movies still in contention for Best Documentary are:

• Born Into Brothels
• Home of the Brave
• Howard Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train
• In the Realms of the Unreal
• Riding Giants
• The Ritchie Boys
• Super Size Me
• Tell Them WHo You Area
• Touching the Void
• Tupac: Resurrection
• Twist of Faith

Source: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Date posted: 2004-11-18