As the awards calendar shifts into high gear, key favorites in the Academy Awards documentary race are beginning to emerge. Directors and producers behind four major contenders—American Doctor, To Hold a Mountain, Closure, and Once Upon a Time in Harlem—convened at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival in Arkansas to evaluate their projects, their creative journeys, and the realities of competing on the road to the Oscars.
The conversation, held at the Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs, was organized in partnership with Deadline and recorded for a live episode of the Doc Talk podcast. Moderated by Oscar-winning filmmaker John Ridley and Deadline senior documentary editor Matt Carey, the panel marked HSDFF’s first-ever roundtable dedicated specifically to current Oscar contenders.
Documentary Contenders Featured at the Hot Springs Roundtable
| Film Title | Key Filmmaker Representative | Notable Accolade or Milestone |
|---|---|---|
| To Hold a Mountain | Biljana Tutorov (Co-director) | Sundance Grand Jury Award winner |
| Closure | Michał Marczak (Director) | Golden Alexander winner at Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival |
| Once Upon a Time in Harlem | Liani Greaves (Producer) | Screened at Sundance, Cannes, Telluride, TIFF, and NYFF |
| American Doctor | Poh Si Teng (Filmmaker) | Gaining traction in the Oscar documentary race |
Personal Trauma and Political Resistance on Screen
The participating filmmakers reflected on the deeply personal and perilous circumstances that defined the making of their nonfiction projects. Biljana Tutorov, who co-directed the Sundance Grand Jury Award winner To Hold a Mountain alongside Petar Glomazić, discussed the intense hostility they faced during production in Montenegro. Tutorov noted that she, Glomazić, and their primary subject, Gara Jovanović, were treated as "enemies of the state" while documenting their story.
For director Michał Marczak, the journey behind Closure touched on long-buried family grief. Marczak, who was awarded the Golden Alexander at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival in Greece, revealed that helming the project unexpectedly provided a pathway to process delayed emotions surrounding the death of his father, which occurred when Marczak was 11 years old.
Cross-Generational Archives and International Realities
Production hurdles also shaped the creation of American Doctor and Once Upon a Time in Harlem. American Doctor filmmaker Poh Si Teng explained the logistical and narrative difficulties that arose when one of her subjects unexpectedly cut off communication—or "ghosted" her—at an essential juncture of filming, forcing her team to find a way forward.
Teng additionally turned attention to her filmmaking colleagues in Gaza, speaking about their inability to leave the occupied territory amid ongoing Israeli military operations that have resulted in Palestinian deaths. Her remarks highlighted the sharp contrast between the celebration of cinema on the festival circuit and the perilous conditions facing collaborators abroad.
Meanwhile, Once Upon a Time in Harlem producer Liani Greaves shared the collaborative dynamics of partnering with her father, David Greaves. The project serves as an intergenerational effort, drawing upon foundational material recorded in 1972 by Liani's grandfather, the renowned documentarian William Greaves. The film achieved a rare festival milestone this season, becoming the sole documentary of the year selected to screen across Sundance, Cannes, Telluride, the Toronto International Film Festival, and the New York Film Festival.
Navigating the Demands of the Awards Campaign
Beyond discussing their craft, the panelists spoke candidly about the shifting realities that come with prominent awards positioning. While the filmmakers acknowledged the immense value and visibility of being recognized as Oscar contenders, they were equally transparent about the physical and mental tolls of campaigning.
Among the principal downsides highlighted was the relentless pace of international travel required to support a film across multiple continents. Marczak also cited the burdens associated with maintaining an active promotional presence on social media platforms as an ongoing frustration during campaign season. The episode documenting the full live discussion was produced by Deadline in conjunction with Ridley's Nō Studios and released across digital podcast platforms.
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Source: Deadline
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