Blackfish, the documentary that took the pop-culture World by storm, and, thanks to CNN’s constant showing of it last summer, made the use of Killer Whales as entertainment in water parks reprehensible, is one of one of 15 docs up for an Oscar in 2014.
Joining Blackfish is The Armstrong Lie – the riveting documentary about Lance Armstrong’s rise and fall from cycling stardom. The movie by Academy Award® winning filmmaker Alex Gibney also chronicles the stories of people who’s occupational lives he ruined during the process of maintaining the lie that he 
wasn’t doping. As the promotion for The Armstrong Lie says, “it’s not about doping, it’s about power.”
The Act Of Killing is a movie about how death squads in Medan (North Sumatra) are so feared they are celebrated to the point of making movies replaying their kills. The Act Of Killing was also selected as one of the top 10 documentaries for 2013 by The Tribeca Film Festival.
The Armstrong Lie and The Act Of Killing are two of 15 movies being considered to be nominated for ‘Best Documentary’ at the 2014 Academy Awards. The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Science’s Documentary Branch determined the shortlist in a preliminary round of voting. Documentary Branch members will now select the five nominees from among the 15 titles.
Here’s the full list, and it’s a good one:
The Act of Killing, Final Cut for Real
The Armstrong Lie, The Kennedy/Marshall Company
Blackfish, Our Turn Productions
The Crash Reel, KP Rides Again
Cutie and the Boxer, Ex Lion Tamer and Cine Mosaic
Dirty Wars, Civic Bakery
First Cousin Once Removed, Experiments in Time, Light & Motion
God Loves Uganda, Full Credit Productions
Life According to Sam, Fine Films
Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer, Roast Beef Productions
The Square, Noujaim Films and Maktube Productions
Stories We Tell, National Film Board of Canada
Tim’s Vermeer, High Delft Pictures
20 Feet from Stardom, Gil Friesen Productions and Tremolo Productions
Which Way Is the Front Line from Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington, Tripoli Street
In fact, it’s so good, we’ll revisit it in another blag post.
The Oscars nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 16, 2014, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
Academy Awards® for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.