General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Oscar awards make me sick. [View all]Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)"HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE is the story of two coalitionsACT UP and TAG (Treatment Action Group)whose activism and innovation turned AIDS from a death sentence into a manageable condition. Despite having no scientific training, these self-made activists infiltrated the pharmaceutical industry and helped identify promising new drugs, moving them from experimental trials to patients in record time. With unfettered access to a treasure trove of never-before-seen archival footage from the 1980s and '90s, filmmaker David France puts the viewer smack in the middle of the controversial actions, the heated meetings, the heartbreaking failures, and the exultant breakthroughs of heroes in the making."
http://surviveaplague.com/trailer
"The first-ever Palestinian film to be nominated for best Documentary Feature by A.M.P.A.S®, the critically-acclaimed 5 BROKEN CAMERAS is a deeply personal, first-hand account of life and non-violent resistance in Bilin, a West Bank village surrounded by Israeli settlements. Shot by Palestinian farmer Emad Burnat, who bought his first camera in 2005 to record the birth of his youngest son, Gibreel, the film was co-directed by Burnat and Guy Davidi, an Israeli filmmaker. Structured in chapters around the destruction of each one of Burnats cameras, the filmmakers collaboration follows one familys evolution over five years of village upheaval.
http://www.kinolorber.com/5brokencameras/
I'd say the Oscar show functions to help weed out the crapola and highlight the excellence, offers world wide promotion to films like the nominees above which can not afford to purchase such promotion and help audiences find the gems that should be seen.