Squawk: Oscar Thoughts

Doc insiders the world over are happy to share their opinions on the recent Academy Awards: what won, what should have won, and what they wish had been in the running:

"I truly think all the doc nominees were worthy and spectacular," says Grace Grinberg, international distribution and coproductions at Tel Aviv's Channel 8. "Personally - and although the penguins are one-of-a-kind - as I tend to peruse justice in the most naïve ways, I wanted to see Marshall Curry win both the mayor position and the Oscar. I would add Occupation: Dreamland to the list, mainly because the film draws an indisputable line between the government-instigated perception of the war in Iraq and the soldiers' perception of the reality there."

Says Carol Spycher, md at Switzerland-based Accent Films International: "Penguins and penguin filmmakers have existed since the dawn of time. These times demand for a more courageous approach looking at our human condition." Who does she think should have won? "No animal/wildlife docs and no entertainment docs. There is enough of that out there on cinema and TV screens."

Both Spycher and Karolina Lidin, director at Copenhagen-based Filmkontakt Nord, agree that Sisters in Law by Kim Longinotto should have been acknowledged. "This film is as good as it gets," says Lidin. "Longinotto introduces me to people who really put themselves out there and make a difference in the world. Her humanistic approach and cinematic eye is an important contribution not only to the art of documentary filmmaking, but to our global village as such."