November 3, 2016 - 12:33 AMT
“I Am Not Your Negro,” “O.J.” lead Cinema Eye Honors doc nominees

Raoul Peck’s exploration of U.S. race relations, “I Am Not Your Negro”, and Ezra Edelman’s sprawling ESPN profile “O.J.: Made in America” led the 2016 Cinema Eye Honors nominations for documentary filmmaking with five mentions apiece, Variety reveals.

The two films were nominated in the outstanding achievement in nonfiction feature filmmaking category along with Kirsten Johnson’s “Cameraperson,” Gianfranco Rosi’s “Fire at Sea,” and Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg’s “Weiner.”

Johnson, Rosi, Peck, and Edelman were nominated for best director along with “Kate Plays Christine” helmer Robert Greene.

Not nominated in any category was Ava DuVernay’s “13th,” widely considered one of the strongest contenders in the documentary Oscar race. But under current guidelines, DuVernay’s film and some other titles from Netflix, like “The Ivory Game,” did not meet eligibility this year. The cut-off date was Aug. 31. They will, however, be submitted for next year’s awards.

Winners will be announced Jan. 11 at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, N.Y.