Not-so-fun fact for the movie buffs out there: Documentary films are fully eligible for the Best Picture trophy at the Academy Awards, but have yet to secure a single nomination in the category in the Oscars’s 98-year history. Sure, they’re eligible for two other doc-specific categories, but their absence from the night’s biggest slot might be the Academy’s most egregious and enduring snub. After all, nonfiction films have taken home the top awards at other prestigious events throughout the decades, including at the Cannes, Venice, and Berlin film festivals.
There’s also the fact, of course, that documentaries can be just as gripping and powerful as narrative features and require just as much artistry—if not more so—to tell a real-life story.
