Heather McIntosh talks with Michael Moore about the new process for documentary Oscar eligibility, and rounds up the flurry of commentary about the changes in the film press.

Media reports suggest that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences will be announcing new rules connected to the documentary Oscars this week, including the use of The New York Times and Los Angeles Times as eligibility sieves. Guest blogger Edward J. Delaney considers the impact of the move.

According to who you ask, the best documentary of 2011 could have been one of 67 films. Could it be The Interrupters? Nostalgia for the Light? Project Nim? Cave of Forgotten Dreams? We've constructed a handy graphic to help you make your own decision.

After receiving a record 12 nominations in the 32nd Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards, the POV films Presumed Guilty, Good Fortune and Food, Inc. won a total of four Emmys.

POV has received a record 12 nominations in the 32nd Annual News & Documentary Emmy® Awards! PBS received 32 nominations in total.

Let’s be totally reductive for a moment, and say that there are two kinds of documentary-lovers: those who enjoy watching the Oscars and those who don’t. I am very much the former, and often when I bring up my interest in the Academy Awards, I am slapped around for my interest in such commercial puffery. […]

It’s been said many times before — heck, I’ve said it more times than I could count — that truth is stranger than fiction. But that doesn’t mean that fiction can’t sometimes trump truth. Take, for example, the retelling of Aron Ralston’s (pictured, far right) true-life story of falling in a canyon in Utah and […]

Another year is upon us so let’s look forward to 2011 for the most exciting and intriguing things that’ll be happening in the documentary world. Here are five that are on my radar: 5) The Launch of OWN The Oprah Winfrey Network means a whole new outlet for doc material but there’s even more here. […]

The duPont Awards, administered since 1968 by Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, honor excellence in broadcast journalism. We are pleased to announce that The English Surgeon, Geoffrey Smith’s inspiring film about a British neurosurgeon who has traveled to the Ukraine for the past 15 years to treat patients who have been left to die, […]

POV’s Series Producer Yance Ford responds to Tom Roston’s assertion that most of the nominees for the best documentary feature in the International Documentary Assocation, Gotham Awards and Cinema Eye Honors lists are obscure titles that haven’t received much in the way of “critical attention.” What do The Village Voice, The New York Times, Filmmaker […]

Leaves have fallen and there’s a nip in the air… which means, it must be movie awards season. Yes, in recent weeks, we’ve seen nomination lists released from three outlets: the International Documentary Association, the Gotham Awards and the Cinema Eye Honors. Here are their nominations for Best Doc Feature: Cinema Eye Honors Armadillo — […]

We’re excited for the 31st Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards at Lincoln Center tonight. Three POV films have received four nominations, and POV alum Frederick Wiseman (High School, POV 2001) will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. The nominated POV films are: The English Surgeon, The Reckoning: The Battle for the International Criminal Court (two […]

Congratulations to the filmmakers of The Betrayal (Nerakhoon) for winning the 2010 Creative Arts Primetime Emmy Award for Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking! Filmmakers Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath along with producer Flora Fernandez-Marengo, co-producer Chiemi Karasawa and POV’s Executive Producer Simon Kilmurry were in Los Angeles this past Saturday night to accept the award […]

It was announced this morning that two POV films have received nominations for a primetime Emmy award in the Exceptional Merit In Nonfiction Filmmaking category. Congratulations to POV filmmakers Steven Sebring, Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath! Patti Smith: Dream of Life aired on POV on December 30, 2009. Shot over 11 years by renowned fashion […]

It’s been a great — and busy — week for us at POV. Keep reading to find out about what we’ve been up to! POV films have been racking up awards at film festivals! Congratulations to Wo Ai Ni Mommy (November 30, 2010 on POV), which won the Grand Jury Award at Silverdocs. Also honored […]

This week, we take a look at more news from past and upcoming film festivals; the Sheffield Doc/Fest opens for submissions; Stranger Than Fiction (NYC) announces its spring season; and the always inspirational Patti Smith is lauded for her unique style. Two POV films took top honors at the San Francisco Asian American Film Festival, […]

After watching last night’s exciting win for Kathryn Bigelow and realizing that today is the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, I found myself wondering who had been the first woman director to win Best Documentary? And for that matter, how many documentaries directed by women have won Oscars in the history of the Academy […]

Hollywood’s biggest night was not, sadly, documentary film’s finest hour. The 2010 Oscar ceremony will be most remembered for how The Hurt Locker trumped Avatar, and how Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win the Best Director award. But, for documentary fans, it may be remembered for a couple of missed opportunities. Things certainly […]