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Werner Herzog documentary shortlisted for Academy Award

Published: 18 Nov 08 10:29 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20081118-15592.html

German film director Werner Herzog is among the 15 filmmakers who have made next year’s Oscar shortlist for best documentary film, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills has announced.

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Out of 94 submitted documentaries, more than in any previous year, “Encounters at the End of the World,” set in Antarctica, is now eligible to compete for one of the five slots in the feature documentary category in February.

Herzog is known for stunning documentaries such as “Grizzly Man” which chronicles the life and death of bear enthusiast Timothy Treadwell.

Errol Morris, who won an Academy Award in 2004 for his documentary "The Fog of War," is in the running for the 81st Oscar as well. This year's nominee, “Standard Operating Procedure,” is a study of torture in Abu Ghraib in Iraq and has already earned him the Silver Bear at the 2008 Berlinale film festival in February.

Nominations in all categories will be announced on January 22, with the awards taking place exactly one month later in Hollywood.