Los Angeles: "He Named Me Malala", the portrait of Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai and Asif Kapadia's profile of Amy Winehouse, "Amy" have emerged as frontrunners in the shortlist for the best documentary award at this year's Academy Awards.


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Alex Gibney's Scientology film, "Going Clear" and Michael Moore's "Where to Invade Next" have also made it to the top 15 list.


Mexican-border vigilante study "Cartel Land", campus-rape investigation "The Hunting Ground", and race-crime documentary "3? Minutes Ten Bullets" are also on the list.


Joshua Oppenheimer, who was nominated for "The Act of Killing" in 2013, is back in contention with "The Look of Silence", a follow-up study of the mid-60s Indonesian massacres and their aftermath.


The shortlisted films were narrowed down from 124 eligible entries after a vote by the Ampas documentary branch.


A further vote will trim the list to the final five nominations, with the winner announced at the Oscars ceremony on February 28.