Best Documentary Feature Film: Ranking Every Nominee of the 97th Academy Awards
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
We are in the home stretch, folks! We have analyzed and ranked every Academy Award nominee affiliated either with separate elements of films or associated with short films in their entirety. All that remains are the final four categories, and they all deal with honouring entire feature length films. We will go in the same (or similar) order of how I covered the short films (only I will place Best International Feature Film last, since there is no Live Action Feature Film category [unless you count Best Picture, I suppose] like there is for the short films). With that in mind, I began with the documentary short films, and so it only makes sense that we go through the Best Documentary Feature Film nominees first. I do have to say that — regarding a category that usually lets in a boring film or two — this year’s batch of five nominees is incredibly strong. While I wouldn’t call it the best year for documentary filmmaking in recent memory (that award would go to 2022, with works like All the Beauty and the Bloodshed and All That Breathes), 2024 was a damn good year for the medium. Outside of one major snub (which, to be fair, it also feels wrong to eliminate any of the final five films we do get) and a handful of surprising omissions like Dahomey and The Remarkable Life of Ibelin), the final five nominees all range from great to sensational, and I don’t think there’s a single miss here. So, which documentary was the best of last year? Do I think that very film will actually win the Academy Award, or will another? Before I begin, I always reiterate this notion before going into the ranking of documentary films: I am not ranking the films based on their politics or message, but, rather, how well the films are made as art forms or educational devices.
Here are your nominees for Best Documentary Feature Film ranked from worst to best.
Biggest Snub: Daughters
I remember when Daughters was the frontrunner to win Best Documentary Feature Film, and yet here it remains completely omitted from contention. My second favourite documentary of 2024 (after what I will rank first below), Daughters was a highly moving, beautiful, heartbreaking film that I feel like would resonate with most viewers. Maybe its focus on incarcerated persons dissuaded the Academy (the very Academy that under-nominated Sing Sing, which should have been up for Best Picture and more awards than it got). This could just be an instance of Daughters coming in sixth when there are only five spots. Who knows. Daughters doesn’t need the awards season to be seen, appreciated, and felt. I do recommend this one for documentary fans; it’ll fit right in with the nominees below.
5. Sugarcane
This took a lot of time to decide, and it hurt to place Sugarcane last because it truly is a great documentary. With gorgeous photography capturing harrowing conversations told by an indigenous community who refuses to remain silent any longer (in relation to the horrors of the Sugarcane Reserve), Sugarcane is a tug-of-war between the beauty of life versus the monstrosities of the human experience throughout history. I ranked Sugarcane last for minuscule reasons: it lags just a teensy bit in comparison to the other nominees (but barely). Otherwise, Sugarcane — like its fellow nominees — haunted me for days after seeing it for the first time. Even though I feel like Sugarcane can represent all of the stories that stem from the abuse and slaughter found in residential schools and on the reserves, I doubt this will be the last documentary on the subject (if anything, I hope it kick starts a movement for more testimonies like this to come out).
4. Porcelain War
What is known by many Oscars Death Race participants to be the White Whale of feature films for 2024 (due to its lack of availability at this present time; the Oscars Death Race is a journey to watch every nominated film specifically before the Academy Awards ceremony), is Porcelain War worth the quest to find? Absolutely. While the most conventional-feeling film of the five (hence why I have ranked the film a little lower), the artistry and candidness of Porcelain War cannot be ignored (there’s also the destruction of war pit up against the grace of the porcelain figures that the film’s subjects construct while fighting for Ukraine). There are many shocking observations of what is going on in Ukraine right now; while Porcelain War never forgets the devastation, it does focus on the sacrifices and strength of its brightest optimists, and that kind of hope is crucial in this day and age. Porcelain War is stunning in this way.
3. Black Box Diaries
While Black Box Diaries feels like the plainest of the five nominees (it really is without frills of any kind), I feel like the rawness of this film is its greatest strength. There is no amount of beautiful shots, fleeting music, or other forms of artistic enhancement that can change the weight of the story of abuse here, nor would any cinematic embellishments help the documentation of perseverance in the face of bigotry and corruption. All we get is the perspective of a survivor during her battle against a society — nay, a world — that still refuses to listen to assaulted women. As a result, Black Box Diaries is incredibly moving and powerful. It’s a testament to how important it is to convey a talking point as heavy as this properly, as to be heard and impossible to ignore. I’m not saying that all documentaries need to be void of artistry, but in the case of Black Box Diaries, sometimes being straight forward and entirely honest is the best path to take.
2. No Other Land
The documentary that is the most discussed as of late is clearly No Other Land, and it’s easy to see why during these disastrous times. As the conflict between Palestine and Israel only worsens, a film like No Other Land finds some impossible light within the situation — an increasing bond between a Palestinian activist and a Jewish journalist. While never becoming sappy or naive, No Other Land does focus enough on the partnership between both men, as they are both treated drastically differently. Seeing how many audiences have been shaken and moved by No Other Land, how quickly the film climbed the ranks of Oscars predictions, and how supported the film has been despite countless promotional setbacks it has experienced (it is presently self-distributed), it is clear that the prowess of this film cannot be denied. It must be heard.
1. Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
What was seen as a last-minute darkhorse nominee was always my pick for what film I wanted to win this category. I love Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat so much. Firstly, I think its subject matter is important (a depiction of the domino effect caused by the 1961 assassination of Patrice Lumumba), and a piece of history that is quick to be swept under the rug (like many other moments in time that go against the history that many want to tell). Secondly, the tapestry of jazz mastery is sublime to watch. Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat is crafted in a way that feels exhilarating, informative, homogenic, and relentless. It may be the longest nominee here at two-and-a-half hours, but it certainly doesn’t feel like it. I think Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat is one of the best documentaries in recent memory, and I am so happy that it got acknowledged here with a nomination.
Who I Want To Win: Honestly, I would be happy with any of the five nominees winning. I am still rooting for Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat, but I wouldn’t be sad with any other film winning as well. This isn’t a year with a, say, My Octopus Teacher: a perfectly-fine but not exemplary film winning it all above far stronger competition.
Who I Think Will Win: I think the clear winner will be No Other Land. There may be a surprise winner, since you never know with the Best Documentary Feature Film category (it can be susceptible to unpredictability), but I honestly — at this present moment — don’t see how anything but No Other Land will win, given its massive surge in popularity, support, and acclaim.
The Academy Awards Project will continue tomorrow with another category: Best Animated Feature Film. We’re going to rank every single nominee in every single category, Monday through Friday. You don’t want to miss it!
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.