The Cinema Eye Honors has announced the nominations for its 15th annual awards. “Flee” leads the field with seven nominations, while “Summer of Soul (…Or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” followed with six.
Written and directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen, the animated documentary “Flee” landed nominations in outstanding nonfiction feature, direction, production, original score, graphic design and animation, audience choice prize and this year’s new category for outstanding achievement in sound design. The film follows the story of Awin Nawabi, an Afghan refugee who is suddenly forced to face the life-altering effects of a secret that he has kept for 20 years.
“Summer of Soul” is nominated for outstanding nonfiction feature, direction, editing, sound design, audience choice prize and debut. The documentary about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival is the first directorial effort by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson.
Other films with multiple nominations include “Ascension,” “Faya Divi” and “The Rescue” with five nominations, and Todd Haynes’ “The Velvet Underground” with four.
Also being honored this year is Cheryl Dunye’s landmark 1996 independent feature “The Watermelon Woman.” Dunye will receive this year’s legacy award at the awards ceremony.
More than 65% of this year’s nominations went to first-time filmmakers and craftspersons. Women make up 48% of the announced nominees, while at least 57% of the year’s nominated directors are filmmakers of color.
HBO led with a total of 16 nominations, followed by Hulu with 12 and 11 nominations for both National Geographic Documentary Films and Neon/Super LTD.
The 15th Annual Cinema Eye Honors award ceremony will be held on Jan. 13, 2022 at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Oreg.
See the full list of competitive nominees announced today below.
Outstanding Nonfiction Feature
“Ascension” (Directed and produced by Jessica Kingdon, produced by Kira Simon-Kennedy and Nathan Truesdell)
“Faya Dayi” (Directed and produced by Jessica Beshir)
“Flee” (Directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen, produced by Monica Hellström and Signe Byrge Sorensen)
“The Rescue” (Directed and produced by E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, produced by P.J. van Sandwjik and John Battsek)
“Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” (Directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, produced by Joseph Patel, Robert Fyvolent and David Dinerstein)
“The Velvet Underground” (Directed and produced by Todd Haynes, produced by Christine Vachon, Julie Goldman, Christopher Clements, Carolyn Hepburn)
Outstanding Direction
“Ascension”
“Faya Dayi”
“Flee”
“In the Same Breath”
“Procession”
“Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”
Outstanding Editing
“Homeroom”
“The Rescue”
“Roadrunner: A Film about Anthony Bourdain”
“Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”
“The Velvet Underground”
Outstanding Production
“The First Wave”
“Flee”
“In the Same Breath”
“President”
“The Rescue”
Outstanding Cinematography
“All Light, Everywhere”
“Ascension”
“Cusp”
“Faya Dayi”
“The Rescue”
Outstanding Original Score
“All Light, Everywhere”
“Ascension”
“Flee”
“Julia”
“maini – towards the ocean, towards the shore”
“Procession”
Outstanding Sound Design
“All Light, Everywhere”
“Faya Dayi”
“Flee”
“Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”
“The Velvet Underground”
Outstanding Graphic Design/Animation
“Becoming Cousteau”
“Flee”
“Rebel Hearts”
“The Sparks Brothers”
“Wojnarowicz: F*ck You F*ggot F*cker”
Outstanding Debut
“Ascension”
“A Cop Movie”
“Faya Dayi”
“Jacinta”
“Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”
Outstanding Nonfiction Short
“Águilas”
“A Broken House”
“Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma”
“Terror Contagion”
“Three Songs for Benazir”
Audience Choice Prize
“Becoming Cousteau”
“Billie Eilish – The World’s a Little Blurry”
“Flee”
“Homeroom”
“Julia”
“Lily Topples the World”
“Listening to Kenny G”
“The Rescue”
“Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It”
“Roadrunner: A Film about Anthony Bourdain”
“The Sparks Brothers”
“Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”
“Try Harder!”
“The Velvet Underground”
“Writing With Fire”
Spotlight
“Fruits of Labor”
“The Neutral Ground”
“North by Current”
“Socks on Fire”
“Two Gods”
Heterodox
“Bo Burnham: Inside”
“A Cop Movie”
“The Inheritance”
“El Planeta”
“The Souvenir Part II”
