The Voice of Dust and Ash is a feature length documentary by first time Iranian-American director Mandana Biscotti, about Maestro Mohammad-Reza Shajarian. The film gives a first hand chronological account of Shajarian's life, through the animated prism of the unofficial national anthem for Iranian freedom, "Morq-e Sahar". [1]
The film was nominated for two Hollywood Music and Media Awards in the category of Best Music Documentary [2] and Best Song. On 17 December 2022, it was announced that the song "Dust and Ash" was shortlisted for the Academy Awards. [3]
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in the film industry. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in cinematic achievements as assessed by the Academy's voting membership. The Oscars are widely considered to be the most prestigious awards in the film industry.
The Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling is the Academy Award given to the best achievement in makeup and hairstyling for film. Traditionally, three films have been nominated each year with exceptions in the early 1980s and 2002 when there were only two nominees; in 1999, when there were four nominees. Beginning with the 92nd Academy Awards, five films were nominated.
The Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film is an award for documentary films. In 1941, the first awards for feature-length documentaries were bestowed as Special Awards to Kukan and Target for Tonight. They have since been bestowed competitively each year, with the exception of 1946. Copies of every winning film are held by the Academy Film Archive.
Mohammad-Reza Shajarian was an Iranian singer and master (Ostad) of Persian traditional music. He was also known for his skills in Persian calligraphy and humanitarian activities. Shajarian started his singing career in 1959 at Radio Khorasan, rising to prominence in the 1960s with his distinct singing style.
Ma'soumeh Dadehbala, known professionally as Hayedeh, was an Iranian singer with a contralto vocal range. Known for her wide range of voice, her career spanned over two decades, and she has been widely described as one of the most popular and influential musicians of Iran.
Josh Ralph, known professionally as J. Ralph, is an American composer, producer, singer/songwriter and social activist who focuses on creating awareness and change through music and film.
Zahra Amir Ebrahimi, known professionally as Zar Amir Ebrahimi, is an Iranian-French actress, producer and director. She rose to international prominence for her performance as journalist Arezoo Rahimi in the crime thriller Holy Spider (2022), for which she won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress and Robert Award for Best Actress.
Daniel Pemberton is an English composer and songwriter. Primarily working in film, television, and video games, he is best known for composing the scores for the film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and its sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the latter of which earned him a number of award nominations, including at the Golden Globes and the Critics' Choice Awards. He has also received recognition for his work in films such as Steve Jobs, Motherless Brooklyn, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Being the Ricardos, and The Rescue, as well as the LittleBigPlanet series of games. For The Trial of the Chicago 7, Pemberton was nominated for the Ivor Novello Award for Best Original Film Score as well as Academy Award for Best Original Song alongside Celeste for the song “Hear My Voice”.
Morqe Sahar is an Iranian tasnif often sung in protest of injustices, dictatorship and tyranny in Iran. Often regarded as the "anthem" of struggles for freedom in Iran, the tasnif was written by Mohammad-Taqi Bahar and composed by Morteza Neidavoud in the early 20th century under the wake of Iranian constitutional revolution. The song's lyrics centre on the metaphor of the bird of dawning or morning that initiates a lament. As the song progresses, it appeals to the caged bird to sing and break free, symbolising the termination of a period of oppression ("night") and the commencement of liberation ("day").
Nicholas Britell is an American film and television composer. He has received numerous accolades including an Emmy Award as well as nominations for three Academy Awards and a Grammy Award. He has received Academy Award nominations for Best Original Score for Barry Jenkins' Moonlight (2016) and If Beale Street Could Talk (2018), and Adam McKay's Don't Look Up (2021). He also scored McKay's The Big Short (2015) and Vice (2018). He is also known for scoring Battle of the Sexes (2017), Cruella (2021), and She Said (2022).
Morgan Neville is an American filmmaker. His acclaimed film 20 Feet from Stardom won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2014 as well as a Grammy Award for Best Music Film. His documentary Best of Enemies, on the debates between Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley, was shortlisted for the 2016 Academy Award and won an Emmy Award. His 2018 film Won't You Be My Neighbor?, a documentary about Fred Rogers, received critical acclaim and became the highest-grossing biographical documentary of all time.
Kristopher Bowers is an American composer, pianist and documentary director. He has composed scores for films, including Green Book, King Richard, The Color Purple, and The Wild Robot and television series, among them Bridgerton, Mrs. America, Dear White People, and When They See Us.
Sing is a 2016 American animated jukebox musical comedy film produced by Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment, and distributed by Universal. It was written and directed by Garth Jennings, co-directed by Christophe Lourdelet, and produced by Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy. Set in a world inhabited by anthropomorphic animals, the film focuses on a struggling theater owner who stages a singing competition in an effort to prevent his theater from entering foreclosure, as well as how the competition interferes with the personal lives of its contestants.
Higher Ground Productions, also known simply as Higher Ground, is an American production company which was founded in 2018 by former United States President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama.
These are the lists of documentary films that were shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in recent years.
Sing 2 is a 2021 American animated jukebox musical comedy film produced by Universal Pictures and Illumination, and distributed by Universal. The sequel to Sing (2016), it was written and directed by Garth Jennings, co-directed by Christophe Lourdelet, and produced by Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy. The story follows Buster Moon and his group putting on a show in Redshore City while working to impress an entertainment mogul and enlist a reclusive rock star to perform with the group.
Finalists for Best Documentary are selected by the Documentary Branch based on a preliminary ballot. A second preferential ballot determines the five nominees. These are the additional films that were shortlisted.
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is a 2022 American biographical documentary film about photographer, artist, and activist Nan Goldin. The film is produced, co-edited and directed by Laura Poitras, and tackles Goldin's life through her advocacy during the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 80's, and her fight against the Sackler family for their role in the current opioid epidemic in the United States. Poitras, a long-time friend and fan, stated that "Nan's art and vision has inspired my work for years, and has influenced generations of filmmakers."
The 26th Toronto Film Critics Association Awards, honouring the best films released in 2022, were announced on January 8, 2023.