Right from the moment the Academy Award shortlist for Best Documentary was announced, most of the the talk has focused on the snubs. People, myself included, were shocked at the number of really fantastic films left off the initial cut, let alone those actually being selected as one of the five final nominees. However, instead of continuing to dwell on the missed opportunities or another thing that the Academy got wrong, perhaps it's time to recognize the fine work that made the cut. In that spirit, here's the first official poster for nominee Best Documentary nominee Undefeated.



First Showing debuted the fantastic looking poster today and I think it perfectly conveys that intangible feeling of inspiration. The bright lights on an empty field have a way of instantly manifesting that rare and magical feeling that can arise from sporting events - that moment when you can sense that so much more than just a game is at stake. A similar idea was used for the Moneyball marketing, another story that uses sport as a backdrop to tell a very human and emotional story of pride and perseverance.

I also love the bold lettering running down the right side of the poster, creating a truly eye-catching composition with the grainy and muted purple and blue color scheme suggesting both the veracity of the story as well as introducing the film's subject, the Manassas Tigers, a high school football team. The trailer (included below) for the Oscar nominated Undefeated debuted last week it's definitely as powerful as this poster. Don't dismiss this as merely a documentary retread of Remember the Titans, Daniel Lindsay & T.J. Martin's film stands apart as amazing true story of a coach (Bill Courtney) determined to change not only the fate of a high school football team in inner-city Memphis (a team that had not won a playoff game in its 110 year existence) but also the lives of many of his players. "Character Will Be Revealed" on February 17, will you be watching?