Oscars 2016: Amy, Going Clear and He Named Me Malala among shortlist of 15 documentaries

The list will be whittled down to five nominees in January

Amy Winehouse, seen here performing on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury in 2008 (Getty Images)

Amy, Going Clear, He Named Me Malala and What Happened, Miss Simone? are among the documentaries shortlisted for an Oscar at next year’s Academy Awards.

Fifteen films were named before they are whittled down to just five when the nominations are announced on 14 January. The awards ceremony will then take place on 28 February.

Amy, directed by Asif Kapadia (Senna), follows the rise and fall of late singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse, who tragically died of alcohol poisoning in 2011.

Winehouse’s family, in particular father Mitch, denounced Amy upon its release in the summer and are believed to be working on their own film about her life. Fans and critics, however, applauded it, for all its “unutterable sadness”.

Brett Morgen’s acclaimed Kurt Cobain feature, Montage of Heck, was not included on the shortlist, despite earning glowing reviews before premiering on HBO. Sundance hit The Wolfpack about the power of movies to shape meaning has also been perhaps unfairly snubbed.

Here are the 15 documentaries to feast your eyes on:

Amy

Best of Enemies

Cartel Land

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief

He Named Me Malala

Heart of a Dog

The Hunting Ground

Listen to Me Marlon

The Look of Silence

Meru

3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets

We Come as Friends

What Happened, Miss Simone?

Where to Invade Next

Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom