Genghis Blues (1999)

Two Oscar categories take me on journeys that I would probably not partake without my commitment to Oscar watching: documentaries and foreign films. Without documentaries, I would not have learned about the life of Paul Pena, the blind blues musician best known for writing “Jet Airliner”, nor the existence of Tannu Tuva, Richard Feynman’s slight obsession with it, and the culture of Tuvan throat singing. There’s a bit of this that feels like watching people’s travel videos, but it’s still an interesting journey. I took away from it a new appreciation of artists and ways of paying tribute to others’ cultures. 

Oscar Nomination: Best Documentary, Features