FYC for Exit Through the Gift Shop

AJ Schnack over at All These Wonderful Things makes a pretty good case urging the Academy (this never works) towards Exit Through the Gift Shop:

But if I had to vote, if I were a member of the Academy, I’d make my mark for Banksy and Jaimie D’Cruz’ landmark work in the nonfiction canon,¬†EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP.

When we talk about the history of the Academy’s documentary branch, the years are littered with major films that were never nominated for the feature Oscar. I was able to think of 12 from the last 25 years without breaking a sweat, most of which didn’t even make the shortlist:¬†THIN BLUE LINE,¬†ROGER & ME,¬†A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME,¬†HEARTS OF DARKNESS,¬†CRUMB,¬†BROTHER’S KEEPER,¬†HOOP DREAMS,¬†AMERICAN MOVIE,¬†THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE,¬†TOUCHING THE VOID,¬†GRIZZLY MAN,¬†ANVIL! and there are, of course, so many more.

He continues:

Banksy may never have intended on creating a film that would spark so much debate, so much divide over whether the film is, as he assured us¬†in an interview “100% true”. He certainly could not have guessed, nor could anyone but the most hopeful among us have suspected, that even the most bitter of these arguments would end with most everyone agreeing, “not that it matters, it’s a great film.”

From my standpoint, I believe Banksy about its veractiy (I thought it was true when I saw it) and I continue to be surprised, amused and ultimately exhausted by the vast numbers of professional journalists and/or websites who suspect or state categorically that the film is fiction or fictionalized without backing up the suspicion with anything approaching facts or even details. They just say it is, so it must be so. Guilty until proven innocent.

This film winning the prize is a long shot call. ¬†But at least we know with Schack he’s making the call after having seen all five of the documentary films, a requirement for anyone who wants to vote on them for the Oscar.

Like with every other category at the Oscars, wit, irony – doesn’t go over so well. ¬†Big, “important,” goes over much better.