Docs Find Awards in Exceptional Mode
The categories for feature-length nonfiction works aren’t clearly delineated but filmmakers emerge as real winners
IIN 2005, when the public’s love affair with theatrical feature documentaries was at an all-time high, the Television Academy decided to create a juried Emmy award for nonfiction projects. The new kudo, called exceptional merit in documentary filmmaking, would not be part of the overall Primetime Emmy ballot. Instead the category’s nominated films, up to five, would be selected by a nominating and voting jury of “experienced filmmakers” selected from the TV Academy’s Nonfiction Peer Group.
That same group recommended the new award, which, according to the Academy “honors and encourages exceptional achievement in one or more of the traditional components of documentary filmmaking, including profound social impact, significant innovation of form and remarkable mastery of filmmaking technique.”
While the nonfiction community cheered the new award, others were puzzled: What distinguished it from the award already established, the documentary or nonfiction special?
According to the Academy, the juried nonfiction category is not meant to duplicate the recognition given to docs/nonfiction programming in the documentary or nonfiction special category.
Technically, both categories honor excellence in nonfiction filmmaking, as well as projects with TV DNA that advance the documentary form.
In 2015, right around the time when the gap between theatrical documentaries and television documentaries had become virtually nonexistent, the Academy distinguished the exceptional merit category by loosening requirements to ensure that anomaly docs, a.k.a. documentaries that actually played in theaters for more than a qualifying week, made it into the Primetime Emmy competition. The Television Academy wanted the opportunity to give Emmys to true theatrical documentaries.
Indeed, many of the the 2015 nominees in both doc and exceptional merit categories played the film festival circuit, then hit the small screen.
Before 2015, docs that played in theaters for 70 days or more were not eligible for Academy consideration. Now docus that exceed 70 days of theatrical release and have a television company creatively involved with the film and an initial intent/commitment to air the program on television may only enter the merit category. They are not eligible in the documentary and nonfiction special category.
Case in point is Laura Poitras’ “Citizenfour,” which grossed just over $3 million worldwide and won the exceptional merit prize in 2015 after receiving the documentary Oscar. The film played in theaters for close to 200 days.
This year, Brett Morgen’s “Jane” (National Geographic) and Matthew Heineman’s “City of Ghosts” (A&E) are the two films among the four in the exceptional merit category that exceeded the 70- day rule. “Jane,” about primatologist and anthropologist Jane Goodall, had a theatrical release of 150 days and grossed just over $1.7 million. “City of Ghosts,” which follows anonymous activists on the ground in ISIS- controlled city of Raqqa, Syria, had a theatrical release of 77 days and grossed just over $200,000.
“Jane” made the Academy Award shortlist but was ultimately left off the Oscar ballot. Morgen says that ending the awards season with seven Emmy noms — for exceptional merit, directing, editing, cinematography, sound mixing and editing and writing — is fitting.
“The recognition for the craft work on this film means the world to me as a director,” says Morgen. “I was never bitter about the Oscar thing. We had an amazing awards run and as directors and producers we get a lot of the attention. I think it’s
appropriateappropriate thatthat wewe endend thisthis journeyjourney cele-celebratingbrating craftcraft atat thethe Emmys.”emmys.”
Inin additionaddition toto ““Jane”jane” andand ““Citycity ofof Ghosts”ghosts” oneone ofof 2017’2017’ss mostmost celebratedcelebrated docs,docs, Yanceyance Ford’sford’s ““Strongstrong Island”island” ((Netflix),netflix), aboutabout aa personalpersonal examinationexamination ofof miscarriedmiscarried jus-justice,tice, isis alsoalso upup forfor anan exceptionalexceptional meritmerit honor.honor. Thethe film,film, whichwhich wonwon aa specialspecial juryjury prizeprize atat Sundance,sundance, securedsecured anan Oscaroscar nomnom afterafter aa qualifyingqualifying theatricaltheatrical runrun inin Newnew Yorkyork andand Loslos Angeles.angeles. Thethe fourthfourth nomi-nomineenee inin specialspecial meritmerit —— Paigepaige Goldberggoldberg Tol-tolmach’smach’s ““Whatwhat Hauntshaunts Us”us” ((Starz)starz) —— hadhad aa similarsimilar Oscar-oscar- qualifyingqualifying runrun inin May.may.
Thethe film,film, whichwhich investigatesinvestigates molesta-molestationtion atat aa privateprivate school,school, isis thethe leastleast ““pop-popular”ular” ofof thethe nominees,nominees, whichwhich isis oneone rea-reasonson whywhy Tolmachtolmach wantedwanted toto submitsubmit inin thethe exceptionalexceptional meritmerit category.category.
((Inin 2016,2016, Academyacademy representativesrepresentatives toldtold docdoc funderfunder ITVSITVS thatthat thethe exceptionalexceptional mer-meritit awardaward waswas createdcreated toto ““honorhonor documen-documentariestaries thatthat maymay notnot bebe consideredconsidered ‘‘popu-popular,’lar,’ butbut stillstill meetmeet thethe exceptionalexceptional meritmerit criteria”;criteria”; criteriacriteria meaningmeaning socialsocial impact,impact, innovationinnovation and/and/oror masterymastery ofof thethe craft.)craft.)
““II knewknew thatthat ifif II submittedsubmitted thethe filmfilm toto aa categorycategory thatthat peoplepeople actuallyactually havehave toto watchwatch thethe movie,movie, thatthat wouldwould bebe aa plus,”plus,” sheshe says.says.
Thethe Televisiontelevision Academyacademy wouldwould notnot dis-discloseclose howhow manymany docusdocus werewere submittedsubmitted forfor exceptionalexceptional meritmerit considerationconsideration thisthis year.year. Execsexecs alsoalso wouldwould notnot revealreveal thethe num-numberber ofof jurorsjurors selectingselecting exceptionalexceptional meritmerit nominees.
Whatwhat isis clearclear aboutabout thethe categorycategory isis thatthat filmsfilms thatthat dodo notnot makemake thethe exceptionalexceptional meritmerit cutcut cancan submitsubmit forfor thatthat otherother docudocu Emmyemmy category:category: documentarydocumentary oror nonfictiontion special.special. Thatthat is,is, ifif theythey playedplayed forfor 6969 daysdays oror lessless inin theaters.theaters.
Documentarydocumentary distributorsdistributors werewere alsoalso tight-tight-lippedlipped aboutabout thethe decision-decision-mak-makinging processprocess behindbehind submittingsubmitting aa filmfilm forfor exceptionalexceptional meritmerit versusversus outstanding documentary.
Netflix’snetflix’s ““Icarus”icarus” waswas alsoalso nominat-nominateded forfor anan Oscaroscar andand won.won. Whilewhile ““Strongstrong Island”island” isis upup forfor anan exceptionalexceptional meritit award,award, ““Icarus,”icarus,” aa social-social-impactimpact film,film, is nominatednominated inin thethe documentarydocumentary special category.
““It’sit’s aa veryvery long,long, thoughtfulthoughtful processprocess withwith aa lotlot ofof peoplepeople involvedinvolved internally,”internally,” sayssays Lisalisa Nishimura,nishimura, Netflix’snetflix’s vicevice presi-presidentdent ofof originaloriginal documentarydocumentary andand comedy programming.
““Wewe reallyreally looklook atat eacheach filmfilm andand trytry toto determinedetermine wherewhere itit willwill bebe fullyfully seenseen andand understood.”understood.”
Insidersinsiders hypothesize,hypothesize, notnot surprising-surprisingly,ly, thatthat thethe streamerstreamer didn’tdidn’t wantwant twotwo ofof itsits filmmakersfilmmakers competing,competing, yetyet again,again, forfor thethe samesame award.award.
Soso farfar Netflixnetflix hashas beenbeen successfulsuccessful atat thethe Primetimeprimetime Emmys.emmys. Twotwo ofof itsits Oscar-oscar-nom-nominatedinated docs,docs, Avaava Duvernay’sduvernay’s socialsocial jus-justicetice explorationexploration ““13th”13th” ((2016)2016) andand Lizliz Gar-garbus’bus’ Ninanina Simonesimone biopicbiopic ““Whatwhat Happened,happened, Missmiss Simone?”simone?” ((2015),2015), whichwhich bothboth metmet thethe exceptionalexceptional meritmerit criteria,criteria, eacheach wonwon thethe Primetimeprimetime Emmyemmy forfor documentarydocumentary oror nonfictionnonfiction specialspecial inin theirtheir respectiverespective years.years.
““Icarus,”icarus,” whichwhich isis thethe onlyonly Oscar-oscar-nomi-nominatednated filmfilm inin thethe docdoc category,category, willwill gogo upup againstagainst Netflix’snetflix’s ““Jimjim && Andy:andy: Thethe Greatgreat Beyond,”beyond,” PBS’PBS’ ““Mistermister Rogers:rogers: It’sit’s Youyou II Like”like” andand twotwo HBOHBO docs,docs, ““Spielberg”spielberg” andand ““Thethe Zenzen Diariesdiaries ofof Garrygarry Shandling.”shandling.”
Thethe redundanciesredundancies betweenbetween thethe excep-exceptionaltional meritmerit andand outstandingoutstanding docdoc awardsawards —— andand eveneven thethe Oscaroscar forfor documentarydocumentary —— areare clear,clear, butbut thethe Academyacademy doesn’tdoesn’t appearappear toto mind.mind. Itsits goal,goal, itit seems,seems, isis toto honorhonor thethe bestbest inin documentarydocumentary filmmakingfilmmaking ofof thethe year.year.