15 documentaries are Oscar shortlisted, no Moore

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has shortlisted fifteen feature-length documentaries for Oscar consideration. Not on the list: Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story (which has been criticized for patchy research); Anvil! The Story of Anvil; It Might Get Loud; or The September Issue. In fact, the only title likely to ring any bells is The Cove, Louie Psihoyos’ shocking report on dolphin fishing.

Of the 89 films that qualified for selection, the shortlisted 15 are as follows:

1. The Cove – Louie Psihoyos’ report on dolphin fishing.
2. Food Inc. – Robert Kenner’s exposé of the corporate-controlled food industry.
3. Valentino: The Last Emperor – Matt Tyrnauer’s look at the life of the renowned fashion designer.
4. Every Little Step – Following dancers auditioning for A Chorus Line, and investigating the history of the show. Directed by Adam Delk Deo and James D Stern.
5. The Beaches of Agnès – Autobiographical doc from director Agnès Varda.
6. Burma VJ – Telling the story of the 2007 uprising by thousands of monks in Burma against the military regime. Directed by Anders Østergaard.
7. Facing Ali – Ten of Muhammed Ali’s former boxing rivals pay tribute to the man. Pete McCormack directs.
8. Garbage Dreams – Mai Iskande’s look at the life of the Zabbaleen, an Egyptian subcultural group that lives in and sorts Cairo’s rubbish.
9. Living In Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders – Dcotors struggle to provide emergency medical care in extreme conditions. Directed by Mark N Hopkins.
10. The Most Dangerous Man In America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers – In 1971, a former Pentagon insider went public with evidence that five presidents had lied about the Vietnam war. By Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith.
11. Mugabe and the White African – Lucy Bailey and Andrew Thompson’s look at one farmer that challenged Robert Mugabe’s brutal land reform programme.
12. Sergio – Greg Barker’s study of the life of a UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the rescue operation to save him when he was trapped after a bomb exploded in Baghdad.
13. Soundtrack for a Revolution – Directed by Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman, this doc tells the story of the Civil Rights movement, through its songs of protest which were sung on picket lines, during marches and in jails.
14. Under Our Skin – Andy Abrahams Wilson tackles the subject of Lyme disease, an epidemic the US health system is failing to address.
15. Which Way Home – Rebecca Cammisa follows unaccompanied child migrants as they travel through Mexico into the US.