At the end of December, the documentary and international Academy Award committees release their shortlists for the films that will be considered for nomination for Best Documentary and Best International Feature Film. There are also shortlists for Documentary Shorts, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Score, Original Song, Animated Short, Live Action Short, Sound, and Visual Effects, but the most closely watched and highly anticipated shortlists belong to the Documentary and International Feature, as even a mention on the shortlist is a huge boon to the filmmaker and even the country submitting the film.
While not all of the films shortlisted are available to stream yet, many of documentaries are, and a few of the international features are available as well, so use these lists as your guide for some quality film picks, or catch up with the awards hopefuls before the ceremonies start rolling out the red carpet (the Golden Globes are on Jan. 10, while the Oscars will be held March 12).
Three of the shortlisted documentaries are currently streaming on Disney+, including the charmingly poignant love story about a pair of French vulcanologists, “Fire of Love,” directed by Sara Dosa, the searingly intimate fly-on-the-wall look at the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, “Retrograde,” directed by Matthew Heineman, and “The Territory,” a gripping thriller about the indigenous Brazilians defending the Amazon rainforest, directed by Alex Pritz.
