I’m really late with this news but better late than never!

Last week, the Academy’s Documentary Branch announced the 15 semi-finalists for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar!  Five of the films below will be nominated.  This has been a brilliant year for documentaries, as you can tell from looking at the titles below!

I’m especially happy to see that The Witness — which can currently be seen on Netflix — made the shortlist.

Not making the list?  Leonardo DiCaprio’s Before The Flood.  If nothing else, this means that we no longer have to worry about sitting through another rambling, if well-intentioned, Leo lecture.

(Or maybe not.  Leo is also involved with The Ivory Game, which is on the shortlist.)

Anyway, here are the 15 semi-finalists!

“Cameraperson,” Big Mouth Productions
“Command and Control,” American Experience Films/PBS
“The Eagle Huntress,” Stacey Reiss Productions, Kissiki Films and 19340 Productions
“Fire at Sea,” Stemal Entertainment
“Gleason,” Dear Rivers Productions, Exhibit A and IMG Films
“Hooligan Sparrow,” Little Horse Crossing the River
“I Am Not Your Negro,” Velvet Film
“The Ivory Game,” Terra Mater Film Studios and Vulcan Productions
“Life, Animated,” Motto Pictures and A&E IndieFilms
“O.J.: Made in America,” Laylow Films and ESPN Films
“13th,” Forward Movement
“Tower,” Go-Valley
“Weiner,” Edgeline Films
“The Witness,” The Witnesses Film
“Zero Days,” Jigsaw Productions