Barack And Michelle Obama's Production Company Higher Ground Gets First Oscar Nomination

Jan 14, 2020 by apost team

The Obamas’ production company Higher Ground has received its first Oscar nomination for its film “American Factory.”

The 2019 Oscar nominations were announced yesterday and included a nod for the film as best documentary feature.

“American Factory” follows the story of a manufacturing plant in Dayton, Ohio opened by a Chinese billionaire and documents the culture clash and tensions between his culture and that of the American working class.

apost.com

It was produced by Higher Ground, a film production company started by Barack and Michelle Obama in 2018 in collaboration with Netflix. Barack shared his thoughts on the nomination on social media.

“Oscar nominations came out today and I'm glad to see 'American Factory's' nod for Best Documentary. I like this film for its nuanced, honest portrayal of the way a changing global economy plays out in real lives,” wrote President Obama on his Instagram post announcing the news. “It offers a window into people as they actually are and it’s the kind of story we don’t see often enough. This is exactly what Michelle and I hope to achieve through Higher Ground. Congratulations to the incredible filmmakers Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar, and the entire team!

Michelle posted the same photo of the filmmaking team and shared her own thoughts saying:

“I couldn’t be happier that Julia Reichert, Steven Bognar, and all of the incredible people behind #AmericanFactory have been nominated for the Best Documentary Oscar. What Julia and Steve capture on film is at times painful, at times exhilarating, but always thoughtful and always real—exactly the kind of story Barack and I wanted to lift up with Higher Ground Productions. I hope you’ll see for yourself by checking it out on @Netflix.”

The film is up against stiff competition including “For Sama,” which documents a family during the Syrian war, and “Honeyland,” a Macedonian film about wild beekeepers that has already received a few awards at the Sundance Film Festival. See if the Obamas will get their first academy award when the Oscars air on February 25, 2020.

Watch the preview for "American Factory" below:

Have you seen “American Factory” yet? What do you think? Does it deserve the best documentary Oscar?