The chosen 15. On December 21st, the announcement came down: the Oscar Shortlist of 15 documentaries selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Documentary Branch to compete for the coveted award of Best Documentary Feature in the upcoming 95th Oscars. IndieWire Editor-at-Large Anne Thompson joins “Top Docs” to break down this year’s Oscar Shortlist and dissect the vote by the diverse, and somewhat unpredictable, documentary branch. What were the surprise misses? Which films are a sure bet to make the final 5? And why is this year’s race for the Oscar far more competitive and, therefore, much harder to predict than last year’s, which saw Questlove’s Summer of Soul take home the gold. Spice up your holidays by tuning in and get your scorecards ready!

IndieWire Editor-at-Large Anne Thompson has been a contributor to the New York Times, Washington Post, The Observer, and Wired. She has served as film columnist at Variety, and deputy editor of Variety.com, where her daily blog, Thompson on Hollywood, launched in March 2007.

Key awards mentioned in this episode:

IDA (International Documentary Association) Awards – Nominees and Winners

PGA (Producers Guild of America) Awards – Documentary Nominees

Critics Choice Documentary Awards – Winners

“Top Docs” Interviews with directors of these Oscar Shortlisted films:

All that Breathes

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed

Bad Axe

Descendant

Fire of Love

Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song

The Janes

2023 Oscar Shortlist with Anne Thompson