Oscar nominees - best documentary nominees
Are you looking to kill some time before the Oscars tonight? All five of the best documentary film nominees are available to watch online, and four of them are less than 2 hours long (the fifth one is technically 2 hours and 7 minutes, but the last 5 minutes are credits). Don't forget that you can watch all of the short documentary nominees online!
Bobi Wine: The People's President (113 min) - stream on YouTube, Hulu, or Disney+
Born in the slums of Kampala, Bobi Wine, Ugandan opposition leader, former member of parliament, activist and national superstar musician, risks his life to fight the ruthless regime led by Yoweri Museveni. Museveni has been in power since 1986 and changed Uganda’s constitution to enable him to run for yet another five-year term.
Running in the country’s 2021 presidential elections, Bobi Wine uses his music to denounce the dictatorial regime and support his life mission to defend the oppressed and the voiceless people of Uganda. In this fight, he must also take on the country’s police and military, which are not afraid to use violence and torture in a vain attempt to intimidate and silence him and his supporters.
The Eternal Memory (85 min) - stream on Paramount or rent on Apple, Amazon, Vudu
Augusto Góngora and Paulina Urrutia have been a couple for 23 years. Augusto is one of Chile's most prominent cultural journalists and television presenters. His wife, Paulina, affectionately called "Pauli," is an actress who served as Minister of Culture and the Arts of the country from 2006 to 2010. Eight years ago, Augusto was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and since then, Paulina has been caring for him. Throughout his career, Augusto was dedicated to ensuring that the atrocities of the Pinochet dictatorship are not forgotten. Today, it is up to him and his wife to maintain his identity despite the challenges of his illness. Each day, the couple faces the difficulties caused by Alzheimer's disease, but they also maintain the tenderness and sense of humor that binds them together.
Four Daughters (107 min) - stream on Netflix or rent on Amazon, Vudu, Apple, YouTube
This riveting exploration of rebellion, memory, and sisterhood reconstructs the story of Olfa Hamrouni and her four daughters, unpacking a complex family history through intimate interviews and performance to examine how the Tunisian woman’s two eldest were radicalized. Casting professional actresses as the missing daughters, along with acclaimed Egyptian-Tunisian actress Hend Sabri as Olfa, Oscar nominated director Kaouther Ben Hania (The Man Who Sold His Skin) restages pivotal moments in the family’s life. These scenes are interwoven with confessions and reflections from Olfa and her younger daughters, offering the women agency to tell their own story and capturing moments of joy, loss, violence, and heartache. Winner of four prizes including L’Oeil d'Or (Best Documentary) when it screened in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, Four Daughters is a compelling portrait of five women and a unique and ambitious work of nonfiction storytelling that explores the nature of memory, the weight of inherited trauma, and the ties that bind mothers and daughters.
To Kill a Tiger (127 min) - stream on Netflix
Ranjit, a farmer in Jharkhand, India, takes on the fight of his life when he demands justice for his 13-year-old daughter, the survivor of sexual assault. In India, where a rape is reported every 20 minutes and conviction rates are less than 30 percent, Ranjit’s decision to support his daughter is virtually unheard of, and his journey unprecedented. Women and men insist that the community, not the criminal court, should solve the issue with a forced marriage to remove the “stain on her.” The men become increasingly hostile to the family, and eventually to the film crew itself. Executive produced by Dev Patel, Mindy Kaling, Rupi Kaur, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas.
20 Days in Mariupol (94 min) - stream on YouTube or rent on Amazon or vudu
Ukrainian journalist Mstyslav Chernov and his colleagues risk their lives to document Russia's siege of Mariupol. They become trapped in the besieged city, struggling to continue their work documenting atrocities of the Russian invasion. The last international journalists remaining in the city as Russian forces close in, Chernov, photographer Evgeniy Maloletka, and field producer Vasilisa Stepanenko capture what become some of the most defining images of the war: dying children, mass graves, the bombing of a maternity hospital, and more.
1 2 3 4 5
mods, I'm not sure why the source for the fifth documentary isn't working for you, but it's from the PBS/Frontline official YouTube channel - maybe it's region blocked in some countries?
Bobi Wine: The People's President (113 min) - stream on YouTube, Hulu, or Disney+
Born in the slums of Kampala, Bobi Wine, Ugandan opposition leader, former member of parliament, activist and national superstar musician, risks his life to fight the ruthless regime led by Yoweri Museveni. Museveni has been in power since 1986 and changed Uganda’s constitution to enable him to run for yet another five-year term.
Running in the country’s 2021 presidential elections, Bobi Wine uses his music to denounce the dictatorial regime and support his life mission to defend the oppressed and the voiceless people of Uganda. In this fight, he must also take on the country’s police and military, which are not afraid to use violence and torture in a vain attempt to intimidate and silence him and his supporters.
Click to viewThe Eternal Memory (85 min) - stream on Paramount or rent on Apple, Amazon, Vudu
Augusto Góngora and Paulina Urrutia have been a couple for 23 years. Augusto is one of Chile's most prominent cultural journalists and television presenters. His wife, Paulina, affectionately called "Pauli," is an actress who served as Minister of Culture and the Arts of the country from 2006 to 2010. Eight years ago, Augusto was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and since then, Paulina has been caring for him. Throughout his career, Augusto was dedicated to ensuring that the atrocities of the Pinochet dictatorship are not forgotten. Today, it is up to him and his wife to maintain his identity despite the challenges of his illness. Each day, the couple faces the difficulties caused by Alzheimer's disease, but they also maintain the tenderness and sense of humor that binds them together.
Four Daughters (107 min) - stream on Netflix or rent on Amazon, Vudu, Apple, YouTube
This riveting exploration of rebellion, memory, and sisterhood reconstructs the story of Olfa Hamrouni and her four daughters, unpacking a complex family history through intimate interviews and performance to examine how the Tunisian woman’s two eldest were radicalized. Casting professional actresses as the missing daughters, along with acclaimed Egyptian-Tunisian actress Hend Sabri as Olfa, Oscar nominated director Kaouther Ben Hania (The Man Who Sold His Skin) restages pivotal moments in the family’s life. These scenes are interwoven with confessions and reflections from Olfa and her younger daughters, offering the women agency to tell their own story and capturing moments of joy, loss, violence, and heartache. Winner of four prizes including L’Oeil d'Or (Best Documentary) when it screened in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, Four Daughters is a compelling portrait of five women and a unique and ambitious work of nonfiction storytelling that explores the nature of memory, the weight of inherited trauma, and the ties that bind mothers and daughters.
To Kill a Tiger (127 min) - stream on Netflix
Ranjit, a farmer in Jharkhand, India, takes on the fight of his life when he demands justice for his 13-year-old daughter, the survivor of sexual assault. In India, where a rape is reported every 20 minutes and conviction rates are less than 30 percent, Ranjit’s decision to support his daughter is virtually unheard of, and his journey unprecedented. Women and men insist that the community, not the criminal court, should solve the issue with a forced marriage to remove the “stain on her.” The men become increasingly hostile to the family, and eventually to the film crew itself. Executive produced by Dev Patel, Mindy Kaling, Rupi Kaur, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas.
20 Days in Mariupol (94 min) - stream on YouTube or rent on Amazon or vudu
Ukrainian journalist Mstyslav Chernov and his colleagues risk their lives to document Russia's siege of Mariupol. They become trapped in the besieged city, struggling to continue their work documenting atrocities of the Russian invasion. The last international journalists remaining in the city as Russian forces close in, Chernov, photographer Evgeniy Maloletka, and field producer Vasilisa Stepanenko capture what become some of the most defining images of the war: dying children, mass graves, the bombing of a maternity hospital, and more.
1 2 3 4 5
mods, I'm not sure why the source for the fifth documentary isn't working for you, but it's from the PBS/Frontline official YouTube channel - maybe it's region blocked in some countries?