25 classic nonfiction features were named today to the Cinema Eye Honors annual list of The Influentials, the films that most inspired this year’s class of filmmakers eligible for the 2015 awards.
“This is not a list that hopes to name the 25 best documentaries of all-time,” said Cinema Eye Honors Chair Esther Robinson, “but rather a way for us to find out what films were most on the minds of this year’s filmmakers as they set out to make their own work. We’re fascinated to see what films repeat each year and which films suddenly leap onto the list.”
Among the films that have been mainstays on the list of The Influentials are all five films that have previously been named as Legacy Award winners at Cinema Eye: Sherman’s March (Legacy winner in 2010), Grey Gardens (2011), Titicut Follies (2012), The War Room (2013) and Harlan County, USA (2014). Films making their first appearance on the list include The Five Obstructions, The Gleaners and I and Tarnation.
This is the second year that Cinema Eye has announced The Influentials, although the group has been surveying filmmakers for several years. More than 70 of this year’s eligible filmmakers submitted their votes.