Former President Barack Obama's 'American Factory' Among Oscar Nominations

From the White House to Oscar nominee, former President Barack Obama’s documentary is one of the names included when nominations for 92nd Academy Awards were announced Monday.

The documentary American Factory is a project with wife Michelle Obama through Higher Ground, their production company. It debuted on Netflix August 21, 2019, and is recognized by The Academy to compete alongside The Edge of DemocracyHoneylandFor Sama, and The Cave as nominees for documentary feature. This is the first Oscar nomination for the Obamas.

American Factory takes place in post-industrial Ohio, where a Chinese billionaire opens a new factory in the husk of an abandoned General Motors plant. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America.

Obama, in an Instagram post, had this to say about the nomination.

“Oscar nominations came out today and I’m glad to see ‘American Factory’s’ nod for Best Documentary,” said the former president. “I like this film for its nuanced, honest portrayal of the way a changing global economy plays out in real lives. It offers a window into people as they actually are and it’s the kind of story we don’t see often enough. This is exactly what Michelle and I hope to achieve through Higher Ground.”

Filmmakers Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar shared in a joint statement they are “over the moon at today’s news.”

Former First Lady, Michelle Obama shared in her Instagram post, “What Julia and Steve capture on film is at times painful, at times exhilarating, but always thoughtful and always real — exactly the kind of story Barack and I wanted to lift up with Higher Ground Productions.
The Academy Awards will be handed out on February 9.
See a complete list of the nominees here.

 

By BSM Team

Feature photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images