“You Can See Everything” generated a lot of awards buzz; but the only award he won’t win is the DGA Award for feature film. The film is not suitable because it is a documentary.
The eligibility rules for directorial achievement in a feature-length motion picture, the DGA’s top award, state that “reruns, animated features and documentaries are not eligible.” A representative from the DGA Awards confirmed to Variety on Tuesday that Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s film about convicted Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes will compete in the directorial honors only in the documentary category.
The film’s distributor, A24, and “several awards strategists” were hoping to bypass strict classification because “You Can See Everything” is not a traditional documentary, according to the outlet. The surprise inclusion of a particular actor and staged reenactments are among the film’s unusual elements that reveal tensions between performance, nonfiction, and reality.
The DGA’s determination is a hurdle for the film, which is poised to have a strong awards season with critical recognition and commercial success. The DGA Award for feature film has become one of the most reliable barometers of who will win the directing Oscar. The film, which often won the DGA’s first prize, also received the Oscar for best picture.
“You Can See Everything” is in a unique position because of its potential to campaign for both the film and documentary categories at the Oscars, which do not have rules prohibiting documentaries from being submitted for consideration in the picture and directing categories. Some awards forecasters, including Times columnist Glenn Whipp, even debated whether “You Can See Anything” might have a better chance than the documentary in the picture category.
Those who follow the Oscars closely say that voters in the documentary category are not only shy of popular films, but also of films that are unusual or feature celebrities. However, no documentary has ever been nominated for best film.
A24 is reportedly trying to submit the film for Oscar consideration in the supporting acting, documentary feature, editing, cinematography, music and directing categories.