Oscars 2024: ‘Best Documentary Feature’ spotlight
Increasingly, in these turbulent times of political disruption, social unrest and environmental catastrophe, documentary features stand to help deliver the change that the audiences are thirsty for. In fairness, the Oscars, who are usually quick to highlight the glitz and glamour of their annual ego-rub, often treat the ‘Best Documentary Feature’ category with great respect, giving a strong variety of documentaries the platform they deserve.
The Oscars are, after all, the greatest celebration of cinema anywhere in the world, even if Cannes so ardently argues its case, making a nomination from the Academy a significant statement that instantly turns heads to a certain country or cause. Just look at the last few years of the awards show’s history, where the likes of All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, Navalny and Flee provide extraordinary arguments for political and social change.
The same can be said for 2024’s list of ‘Best Documentary’ nominees, with the majority of the picks speaking to an urgent political cause or urging attention concerning a particular social issue. From Mstyslav Chernov’s gripping war drama 20 Days in Mariupol to the fascinating human odyssey of Nisha Pahuja’s To Kill a Tiger, this year’s nominees are a perfectly curated bunch.
Explore the category in its entirety below and discover the movies vying for one of the Oscar’s most lucrative and salient prizes.
Oscars 2024: ‘Best Documentary Feature’
20 Days in Mariupol (Mstyslav Chernov)
The front-runner to take home the ‘Best Documentary Feature’ Oscar, Mstyslav Chernov’s 20 Days in Mariupol provides vital insight into the war in Ukraine, focusing on a group of journalists trapped in the city of Mariupol upon the start of the war. A fierce comment on the importance of journalism, the film documents the efforts of the group to continue capturing the war’s atrocities no matter the personal costs.
Translating the horror and fear of the war in Eastern Europe, Chernov’s film is a masterful documentary that sticks viewers in the middle of the conflict and forces you to assimilate yourself in the situation. Helmed and written by the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, there are few people more well-informed on the topic to give you a potent rundown of recent history.
Having already won ‘Best Documentary’ at the Baftas, Chernov will be hoping that 20 Days in Mariupol can bring home the goods on the biggest night of the movie calendar. Having recently passed the two-year mark since the beginning of Russia’s invasion, this film is a reminder for audiences and governments around the world to keep witnessing and sending support to Ukraine amidst a time of global political crisis.
Bobi Wine: The People’s President (Moses Bwayo, Christopher Sharp)
From directors Moses Bwayo and Christopher Sharp, Bobi Wine: The People’s President is a defiant extension of the musician and activist’s political campaign to fight the Ugandan regime of Yoweri Museveni, who has been in charge of the country for the past 35 years. Winning ‘Best Feature Documentary’ at the International Documentary Association awards, there’s certainly a chance that this gripping study could win at the Oscars.
Of all the films in this year’s ‘Best Documentary Feature’ category, Bobi Wine: The People’s President may be the most watchable, with the titular figure being one of the main selling points. An utterly charming figure vying for political change, it won’t take long for you to fall in love with Wine, and indeed his music, with the filmmaker’s weaving a rhythmic tale that is surprisingly difficult to turn off.
Although technically a democracy, holding elections regularly, the government’s credibility has steadily deteriorated since its inception in 1986. Manipulating state resources while prosecuting potential opposition leaders, the Ugandan government has been in need of urgent change for many generations, with Bobi Wine appearing to be a viable alternative thanks to his significant following.
The Eternal Memory (Maite Alberdi)
Perhaps the most emotionally devastating movie in 2024’s ‘Best Documentary Feature’ category is Maite Alberdi’s The Eternal Memory, a film that explores the love between Augusto and Paulina that lives on despite the former’s Alzheimer’s disease, which means he no longer recognises his wife. A heartbreaking study, The Eternal Memory was a hit at the 2023 Berlin Film Festival.
Produced by MTV Documentary Films, The Eternal Memory comes from the former Oscar nominee Maite Alberdi, who previously helmed 2021’s The Mole Agent, and is a transcendent love story that doesn’t fit into the classic Hollywood mould. While being a powerful exploration of memory, remembrance and mourning, the film is also an extraordinarily beautiful and inspirational ode to selfless love.
The Academy is partial to a heart-wrenching story about the relationship between eternal love and fragile memory, with Michael Haneke’s Amour receiving a ‘Best Picture’ nomination and ‘Best International Feature Film’ win in 2013. While certainly being an outside shot to claim the Oscar, there’s no doubt you should seek out The Eternal Memory and witness one of recent cinema’s most enduring tales of human passion.
Four Daughters (Kaouther Ben Hania)
Nominated for the prized Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023, Kaouther Ben Hania’s Four Daughters enraptured audiences thanks to its ingenious approach to its subject matter. Telling the story of a Tunisian woman named Olfa whose life is upended when two of her four daughters disappear, Four Daughters sets itself apart from other documentaries when Hania introduces two professional actors to fill their absence.
An international co-production between Tunisia, France, Germany and Saudi Arabia, Hania’s film is a wondrous piece of documentary cinema that brings the viewer under the wing of the central family to better translate their struggle. A brave approach to the tricky subject matter, Hania’s film ultimately is an excellently told tale that underlines the resilience of the individuals who are forced to undergo similar situations.
The story begins back in 2016 when the documentary’s subject, Olfa, publicised that her two daughters, Rahma and Ghofrane, had been radicalised by the Islamic State and had both fled to Libya. A sharp criticism of the Tunisian authorities who made lame efforts to stop the daughters from leaving, Hania’s film is a powerful reminder of the need for bravery and persistence in speaking up against authority.
To Kill a Tiger (Nisha Pahuja)
Recognised across the world at various well-known festivals, such as Toronto and Sundance, Nisha Pahuja’s To Kill a Tiger is a passionate force for political change in India. Telling the story of a farmer named Ranjit, a man whose 13-year-old daughter is raped, the film follows his fight for justice in a country where such crimes so often go unpunished, and women’s safety is merely ignored.
An incredibly personal work of non-fiction, Pahuja’s film offers a fascinating insight into the everyday lives of the Jharkhand community, evaluating their efforts to help quell the social unrest and simplify the political process. Their efforts are, however, born from the foundations of gross inequity and misogyny that have festered in the country, making the film itself a valiant and unprecedented endeavour.
While a major crisis across the country, efforts have been made in recent years to improve the issue, with an increase in willingness to report such crimes helping to gather a significant social movement for change. Films such as To Kill a Tiger will only add to this urgency, giving global media attention to the issue, which will help force change for women across the country.
