#FilmNominations2014 : Best Documentary

Perhaps because the last few years have been a golden age for the documentary, delivering an unprecedented wealth of titles that became box office hits, 2014 paled a bit in comparison. There were still some remarkable works, but this has been hardly a vintage year for the genre.

The year’s documentary harvest was far from scarce, though, and included such notable works as “The Overnighters’ with his resonating financial crisis story of a pastor in North Dakota who controversially turned his church into a refuge for homeless workers coming en masse in search of a job within the area’s oil industry; LFF winner “My Fathers, My Mother and Me” and its exploration of the way of life in a free sex, no family boundaries commune during the 60s by one of the children who grew up there; the career of Riot Girrl extraordinaire Kathleen Hanna given a deserved review in ‘The Punk Singer’; Frederick Wiseman researches on two prestigious institutions in “At Berkeley” and “National Gallery”; Mark Cousins interesting psychological observations of “A History of Children and Film”; the trial which put an end to California’s anti gay-marriage Proposition 8 was celebrated and well documented in “The Case Against 8’; or the Investigation of the causes and side-effects behind Africa’s post-colonial wars in ‘Concerning Violence’.

Despite such contenders, the six works which made our shortlist are Ian Forsyth & Jane Pollard’s highly original depiction of the work and the legend surrounding songwriter Nick Cave in ’20,000 Days On Earth’; a celebration of the history of female backing vocals in the joyous Oscar winner ’20 Feet From Stardom’; shaped as a spy thriller, the story of whistle blower Edward Snowden, who contacted documentarian Laura Poitras to film his, now historical, intelligence leaks about the illegal surveillance of everyday communications by the USA government in ‘CITIZENFOUR’; the fascinating tale of the failed attempt of taking sci-fi novel ‘Dune’ to the big screen by Chilean counter culture master Alejandro Jodorowsky’s and his extraordinary vision which included the collaboration of Moebius, Dali; Mick Jagger; Pink Floyd and many other luminaries in ‘Jodorowsky’s Dune’; The access all areas account of Roger Ebert’s career, a fine, intimate tribute to the recently deceased most popular film critic of all times ; and the experimental works of Stephanie Spray & Pacho Velez filming the cable car trips of pilgrims to a Nepalese ancient Hindu temple and his shrine to the good fortune goddess “Manakamana”.

Check all the nominees’ trailer below and cast your votes here