Final Oscars Predictions: Best Documentary Feature — ‘Summer of Soul’ Projected to Make an Oscar Darling Out of Questlove (ARCHIVED)
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2022 OSCARS PREDICTIONS:
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
UPDATED: March 24, 2022
AWARDS PREDICTION COMMENTARY:
The race for documentary feature has been Questlove’s to lose for quite some time, as long as he managed to capture the nom.
Looking back on the last 20 years, once the field is ultimately established, there hasn’t typically been an upset victor in this category. Instead, the Academy has primarily fallen in line with the consensus choice. Four days before final Oscar voting opened, the PGA and BAFTA prizes for documentary feature sure helped a ton.
But in an awards season where 94 years of Oscar statistics are looking like they’re about to crumble, we have to be open to the possibility of a shocker. Stanley Nelson won the DGA award for Showtime’s “Attica,” and it’s a film that has a passionate base, but it’s hard to know if enough voters have seen it. Notably, if “Attica” does win, co-director Tracy A. Curry will become the first Black woman to win this category.
And then there’s Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s “Flee,” nominated in two other categories for animated feature and international feature, the first of its kind to land three noms in those spaces. This has been the hardest nomination for the Neon-distributed movie to secure, but also its biggest shot at a win if it can overtake the feel-good nature of “Summer of Soul.”
Jessica Kingdon’s “Ascension” and Rintu Thomas’ “Writing With Fire” have pockets of support, but remain dark horses in the category.
When in doubt, go with the critical darling.
Will win: “Summer of Soul (Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” (Hulu/Searchlight Pictures) – Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Joseph Patel, Robert Fyvolent and David Dinerstein
Could win: “Flee” (Neon) – Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Monica Hellström, Signe Byrge Sørensen and Charlotte De La Gournerie
Should win: “Flee” (Neon) – Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Monica Hellström, Signe Byrge Sørensen and Charlotte De La Gournerie
Awards Season Calendar (2021-2022)
ALL AWARDS CONTENDERS AND RANKINGS:
| AND THE NOMINEES ARE: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| RANK | FILM | STUDIO | DIRECTOR(S), PRODUCER(S) |
| 1 | “Summer of Soul (Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” | Hulu/Searchlight Pictures | Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Joseph Patel, Robert Fyvolent and David Dinerstein |
| 2 | “Flee” | Neon | Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Monica Hellström, Signe Byrge Sørensen and Charlotte De La Gournerie |
| 3 | “Attica” | Showtime | Stanley Nelson and Traci A. Curry |
| 4 | “Writing With Fire” | Music Box Films | Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh |
| 5 | “Ascension” | MTV Documentary Films | Jessica Kingdon, Kira Simon-Kennedy and Nathan Truesdell |
AWARDS CATEGORY HISTORY (Documentary Feature)
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, is Hollywood’s most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. The most awarded films in Oscar history are “Ben-Hur,” “Titanic” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” at 11 statuettes. The most nominated films in Academy history are “All About Eve,” “Titanic” and “La La Land” at 14. “La La Land” is the only film of the three to have lost best picture. The most prominent Oscar “losers,” meaning most nominated and walk away with zero awards, are 1977’s “The Turning Point” and 1985’s “The Color Purple” at 11 each.
2022 Academy Awards Predictions
- Best Picture
- Best Director
- Best Actor
- Best Actress
- Best Supporting Actor
- Best Supporting Actress
- Best Original Screenplay
- Best Adapted Screenplay
- Best Animated Feature
- Best Production Design
- Best Cinematography
- Best Costume Design
- Best Film Editing
- Best Makeup and Hairstyling
- Best Sound
- Best Visual Effects
- Best Original Score
- Best Original Song
- Best Documentary Feature
- Best International Feature
- Best Animated Short
- Best Documentary Short
- Best Live-Action Short
2021 Oscars predictions are here.
About the Academy Awards (Oscars)
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, is Hollywood’s most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. Since 1927, nominees and winners have been selected by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Seventeen branches are represented within the near 10,000 person membership. The branches are actors, associates, casting directors, cinematographers, costume designers, directors, documentary, executives, film editors, makeup and hairstylists, marketing and public relations, members-at-large, members-at-large (artists’ representatives), music, producers, production design, short films and feature animation, sound, visual effects and writers.
- The date for the 94th Oscars will be held on Sunday, Mar. 27, 2022
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