Music documentaries are well-represented on the list of 201 features that are eligible in the documentary feature film category for the 98th Academy Awards. Docs about BTS’s avid fan army, Tejano star Selena, rock gods Led Zeppelin, John Lennon & Yoko Ono and songwriter Diane Warren are in the running for nominations.
The Warren doc includes a new song that she wrote for the film, “Dear Me,” which may bring the veteran songwriter a 17th Oscar nomination for best original song.
The longlist includes two films about very different live experiences that became cultural touchstones – Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror and Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery – the Untold Story.
There’s the cheekily titled Billy Idol Should Be Dead, as well as docs about some music and entertainment personalities who are, in fact, dead, including songwriter Jeff Buckley, Selena and Lennon (both shot to death, tragically), comedians Andy Kaufman and Stiller & Meara, 1960s sex symbol Jayne Mansfield and ventriloquist and puppeteer Shari Lewis.
There are two films about Oscar-winners for best actress — Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story (Liza Minnelli) and Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore.
Members of the Documentary Branch will vote to determine the shortlist of 15 films and then the five nominees.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences also released the list of feature films eligible in the animated feature film and international feature film categories. Thirty-five features are eligible in the animated feature film category. Eighty-six countries or regions have submitted films that are eligible in the international feature film category.
Shortlists in 10 categories will be announced on Tuesday, Dec. 16. Nominations for the 98th Academy Awards will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 22. The 98th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 15 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC.
Here are music and entertainment documentaries that are eligible in the documentary feature film category.
BTS ARMY: Forever We Are Young
Becoming Led Zeppelin
Billy Idol Should Be Dead
Diane Warren: Relentless
14 Short Films about Opera
It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley
Janis Ian: Breaking Silence
Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery– The Untold Story
Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story (Liza Minnelli)
One to One: John and Yoko (John Lennon and Yoko Ono)
Selena y Los Dinos (Tejano star Selena Quintanilla)
Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror
Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted
Viva Verdi! (about a retirement home for elderly opera stars)
Who in the Hell Is Regina Jones? (publisher of Soul newspaper)
Other Entertainment Documentaries
Being Eddie (Eddie Murphy)
Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie
Chronicles of Disney
Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore
My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay (Jayne Mansfield)
The New Yorker at 100
Shari & Lamb Chop (puppeteer Shari Lewis)
Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost (Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara)
Thank You Very Much (Andy Kaufman)
