Vivian Maier Doc Nominated For Oscar, Roger Ebert Film Snubbed
(CHICAGO) -- A Chicago documentary was nominated for an Academy Award on Thursday, while another was shockingly snubbed when the Oscar nominations were announced in Hollywood.
The film "Finding Vivian Maier" tells the fascinating story of the reclusive Chicago nanny who took more than 150,000 street photos that now are considered among the best photography ever.
Maier's negatives were discovered hidden away in a storage locker after her death.
"Finding Vivian Maier" was one of the five films nominated for Best Documentary Feature on Thursday, but another critically-acclaimed Chicago documentary was not: "Life Itself," based on Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert's autobiography.
Bruce Elliot, a longtime friend of Ebert's who was featured in the documentary, was mystified at the snub.
"Who actually even votes on this?" he said. "I've heard cases where people have actually had their cleaning lady fill out their forms, because they hadn't even seen half the movies. So, who knows?"
A spokesperson for Kartemquin Films, which helped produce the film, said the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has a flawless record when it comes to its films. The Oscars also snubbed Kartemquin documentaries "Hoop Dreams" and "The Interrupters."