Oscars 2019 Nominations: 13 Biggest Shocks, Snubs & Surprises

5. Snub: Won't You Be My Neighbour - Best Documentary

Won T You Be My Neighbour Mr Rogers
Focus Features

It wasn't just that Won't You Be My Neighbour felt like a safe bet among the documentary category, but that, more broadly, it felt like one of the safest bets of the entire thing. A critically-acclaimed, high-grossing, universally-beloved doc about an adored American figure - how could it not get nominated?

Well, that's a question for Academy voters. Of Fathers and Sons, a study of Jihadi radicalisation in Syria, is the surprise nominee to beat out the Fred Rogers doc, which might be because of its more serious subject matter, as opposed to the lighter (but also lovely) topic in Won't You Be My Neighbour?. Still, given this won the PGA Award, it can't be seen as anything other than a huge, shocking snub.

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Contributor
Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.