Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Documentary Feature

The competition: Free Solo, Hale County This Morning, This Evening, Minding the Gap, Of Fathers and Sons, RBG

Previous winners: Icarus, OJ: Made in America, Amy, Citizenfour, Twenty Feet from Stardom, Searching for Sugar Man
My winner: Announcing shortly after the Oscars!
The facts: Only one nominee has been here before, and that’s “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” co-producer Joslyn Barnes, who was nominated last year for “Strong Island.” It’s likely easier for people to watch “Minding the Gap” and “RBG” since they’re available on Hulu. “Minding the Gap” won the International Documentary Awards’ feature prize, while “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” and “Three Identical Strangers,” both of which missed out on a place on this list, took top honors from the PGA, DGA, and Critics Choice Documentary Awards. The only film nominated for all those prizes was “Free Solo.”

Who should win: I wasn’t fond of “Hale County This Morning, This Evening.” Both “Of Fathers and Sons” and “Minding the Gap” shone a light on interesting subjects with a focused viewpoint. “RBG” was extremely entertaining, but nothing wowed me as much as the intense “Free Solo.”
Who will win: It’s far from guaranteed, but Free Solo should be able to beat out “RBG” barring an upset from one of the two less mainstream selections here.