J-School alums Daphne Matziaraki and lecturer Dan Krauss make Academy Awards early shortlist

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has narrowed the field of documentary award contenders for the 89th Academy Awards to 10 films, two of them produced by graduates of the Berkeley J-School.

Five of the shortlisted films will earn Oscar nominations.

May 2016 documentary graduate Daphne Matziaraki‘s stunning thesis film “4.1 Miles”–on the refugee crisis in her native Greece–has already been honored with a Student Academy Award. That win automatically placed her in the running for an Oscar in a documentary category, potentially competing against veteran filmmakers, including her own J-School instructor.

“4.1 Miles” is a 22-minute documentary on a day in the life a Greek coast guard officer on the island of Lesbos who is caught in the middle of Europe’s biggest refugee crisis since World War II. The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival, and received production funding from Minette Nelson and David Eckles of The Filmmaker Fund, which makes direct grants to students through the Fine Cut Fund at the J-School. It is also nominated for the David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award at the upcoming 32nd International Documentary Association (IDA) Awards.

“I’m humbled, and I feel deep gratitude for the incredible response to this important story I felt I had an obligation to tell,” said Matziaraki. “It means that people care, and that’s very hopeful.”

Matziaraki praises the School for its role in her success. “It is a fact, I wouldn’t be here without my J-School professors and mentors: Orlando Bagwell, Jon Else, Dan Krauss, as well as the entire J-School community. I feel honored to be part of the J-School family and to be surrounded by the most inspiring and talented individuals in the documentary filmmaking world, for the rest of my life.”

Lecturer and alum Dan Krauss‘s (’04) “Extremis,” a verite documentary exploring the harrowing decisions that doctors, families and patients face in urgent end-of-life cases, also made the contenders list. With extraordinary access to the intensive care unit of a public hospital (Highland Hospital in Oakland), the film offers a uniquely intimate look at the intersection of science, faith, and humanity. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was named Best Documentary Short. It is also nominated for Best Short at the International Documentary Association (IDA) Awards.

“The response to the film has been deeply humbling and is a testament to the patients, families and medical staff who courageously shared their stories,” said Krauss. “The strong tradition of intimate and impactful non-fiction storytelling fostered at the J-School has been an incredible gift to so many of us who have passed through North Gate Hall.”

“It’s stunning that two of these 10 documentaries come from our immediate J-School family,” said Dean Edward Wasserman. “We often tell ourselves our film program, graduating perhaps a dozen students per year, houses the top nonfiction film-makers on the West Coast, and this recognition from the Academy gives us powerful evidence in support.”

Nominations for the 89th Oscars will be announced on Jan. 24, 2017. The prizes themselves will be awarded on Feb. 26 and will be televised live on ABC stations.

About the Documentary Program at UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley’s documentary program is widely considered one of the most important graduate nonfiction film programs in the U.S. Carrying on the work begun by producer Andrew Stern and pioneering black gay filmmaker Marlon T. Riggs in the 1970s, professors Jon Else and Orlando Bagwell have trained hundreds of filmmakers of talent, diversity, and accomplishment.

Grounded in the values of professional journalism–accuracy, eloquence, aggressive research and reporting, fine writing, ethics and analysis–combined with fundamentals of solid filmmaking, documentary production at UC Berkeley emphasizes visual imagery and a wide range of storytelling styles: investigative, historical, biography, personal essay, and cinema verite.

The School’s graduate students routinely win more national student Emmys for documentary than those of any other university program in the country. They’ve also won student Oscars, and alongside alumni, have routinely had premiere screenings at the top film festivals in the world, among them Sundance, Cannes, SXSW, and Tribeca.

By Marlena Telvick