He Named Me Malala makes the 2016 Oscars documentary shortlist
Documentary film He Named Me Malala has made the cut in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' documentary shortlist. 15 films have been selected out of a pool of 124 submissions.
He Named Me Malala details Malala's family life in central England, where she has lived since the 2012 Taliban attack on her in Swat for her advocacy of girls' education. Malala has since grown in recognition as an activist for female education activist and is also the youngest recipient of the Nobel Prize.
The film, directed by American director/producer Davis Guggenheim (of An Inconvenient Truth fame), has been produced by Imagenation Abu Dhabi FZ (UAE) and Participant Media (USA).
It released in the US on October 2, and has been screened at several film festivals, including Toronto International Film Festival. The film won the Best Gala Film award at the San Diego Film Festival.
Also read: Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's 'A Girl in the River' shortlisted for Oscar nomination
The full documentary shortlist is as follows:
“Amy,” On the Corner Films and Universal Music
“Best of Enemies,” Sandbar
“Cartel Land,” Our Time Projects and The Documentary Group
“Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief,” Jigsaw Productions
“He Named Me Malala,” Parkes-MacDonald and Little Room
“Heart of a Dog,” Canal Street Communications
“The Hunting Ground,” Chain Camera Pictures
“Listen to Me Marlon,” Passion Pictures
“The Look of Silence,” Final Cut for Real
“Meru,” Little Monster Films
“3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets,” The Filmmaker Fund, Motto Pictures, Lakehouse Films, Actual Films, JustFilms, MacArthur Foundation and Bertha BRITDOC
“We Come as Friends,” Adelante Films
“What Happened, Miss Simone?,” RadicalMedia and Moxie Firecracker
“Where to Invade Next,” Dog Eat Dog Productions
“Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom,” Pray for Ukraine Productions
The final five nominees of the Documentary Feature category will be announced live with the rest of the 88th Academy Awards nominations on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at 5:30am PT at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.