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30 for 30’s “O.J.: Made in America” lands ESPN’s first-ever Oscar nomination

ESPN's acclaimed documentary "O.J.: Made In America" landed the network's first Oscar nomination. (ESPN Films)
ESPN’s acclaimed documentary “O.J.: Made In America” landed the network’s first Oscar nomination. (ESPN Films)

ESPN Films’ most acclaimed project to date, “O.J.: Made in America,” has received ESPN’s first-ever Academy Award nomination in the Best Documentary category.

The seven-and-a-half-hour film, directed by Peabody and Emmy-award winning director Ezra Edelman and produced by Caroline Waterlow, premiered in January 2016 at the Sundance Film Festival, followed by theatrical dates in New York and Los Angeles before airing on ESPN in June.

“This is the most unbelievable honor from the Academy and I could not be prouder of our talented team,” Waterlow said. “Ezra had a strong vision for telling this story in a different way, and ESPN Films gave us the most amazing support to do so. I am so glad he brought me on the journey of telling this important, American, cultural story.”

“We’re incredibly excited that ‘O.J.: Made in America’ has been nominated for an Oscar, a first for ESPN Films and our filmmaking team,” said Vice President and Executive Producer, ESPN Films and Original Content, Libby Geist. “We had our initial meetings about this project three years ago, and to have it so well-received after all of this hard work has been overwhelming. Being recognized by the Academy further solidifies ESPN Films and 30 for 30 as top-tier filmmaking brands that hopefully will allow us to continue pushing boundaries. Congratulations to Ezra, Caroline and their team, and everyone around the company who played a part in making this crazy project such a success.”

Over the last couple of months, “O.J.: Made in America” has won numerous awards from critics and filmmaking groups, including Best Documentary at the Gotham Awards; four awards including Best Documentary at the Critic’s Choice Documentary Awards; Best Feature Documentary from the International Documentary Association; Best Documentary by the National Board of Review and the New York Film Critics Circle; and a duPont Award.

The 89th annual Academy Awards will air live on ABC on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. ET.

“O.J.: Made in America” is available on WatchESPN, iTunes, Hulu, Google Play and Amazon Instant Video.

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