Documentary, co-produced by WGBH’s ‘Frontline,’ earns Oscar nomination
Excerpts from The Boston Globe – January 12, 2020
Amid the outcry that women were shut out of the best director Oscar nominations, one female director whose film earned a nod has a Boston connection.
“For Sama,” a much-hailed festival circuit film by Waad Al-Kateab, was nominated Monday for an Academy Award for best documentary feature.
Produced by PBS’s documentary series “Frontline,” out of WGBH in Boston, the film is “basically a love letter” from Al-Kateab to her little daughter Sama, said Raney Aronson-Rath, executive producer of “Frontline.”
Directed by Al-Kateab and London-based Edward Watts, the documentary offers a rare first-person account of the Syrian conflict.
“For Sama” aired on PBS in November, following a summer theatrical release that saw it showered with praise. It won best feature at the International Documentary Association Awards; the Prix L’Œil d’Or for best documentary at the Cannes Film Festival; the Grand Jury Award for best documentary at the 2019 SXSW Film Festival, among others…
“For Sama” is now available for streaming on pbs.org and on the PBS app.
