Snubbed by Oscars, redeemed by Emmys: How eligibility rules revived ‘Super/Man,’ ‘I Am: Celine Dion,’ and ‘Will & Harper’

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Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, I Am: Celine Dion, The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, and Will & Harper share something in common: all four documentaries were snubbed at the 2025 Oscars but have now earned nominations at the 77th Emmys.

It's an unusual rule that makes this possible. Even after launching a full Oscar campaign — as these documentaries did — they can still compete at the Emmys if they fail to secure an Oscar nomination. The rule is a bit murky, though, as simply earning an Oscar nomination (in any category) makes a film ineligible for the Emmys. While this has become a common practice, there’s still confusion about how documentaries are submitted for the Emmys, which categories they qualify for, and why some films can compete at both the Oscars and Emmys while others cannot.

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Adding to the complexity is the fact that documentaries that campaign for an Emmy first — even if they win — are still eligible to campaign for an Oscar. Such was the case just two years ago when Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie won the Emmy for Best Documentary or Nonfiction Special and subsequently launched an Oscar campaign. While the film made the shortlist, it ultimately failed to secure an Academy Award nomination.

"Eligibility is only affected if the documentary has been nominated for an Oscar prior to being submitted to the Emmys," a rep for the TV Academy explains to Gold Derby. "No rule exists in the Emmy competition that would disallow a program from submitting to the Oscars after it has been awarded the Emmy."

In short, it's possible for a documentary to win both the Emmy and the Oscar — as long as the Emmy comes first.

Adding to the confusion is the distinction between two Emmy categories to which these films are submitted: Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking and Best Documentary or Nonfiction Special. Once again, Gold Derby asked the Television Academy to clarify: "The producers or network/platform decide which category they wish to submit to, but all entries that are submitted to Exceptional Merit are reviewed to confirm the program meets the eligibility criteria. Additionally, if a documentary had an extended theatrical run (an aggregate of more than 70 days), it’s not eligible to compete as a Documentary Special, but is eligible in Exceptional Merit if it was produced by a media company that produces programs primarily for television and there was always the intent for the program to have a national distribution on television."

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One key "eligibility criterion" states that a documentary’s television broadcast or streaming debut must occur within one year of its initial public exhibition — excluding film festival screenings, which are not considered theatrical releases. The Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking category was designed to honor documentaries that enjoyed a robust theatrical run before airing on television.

With the rules clarified, let’s dive into the nominees. Prime Video’s I Am: Celine Dion and Netflix’s The Remarkable Life of Ibelin are both contenders in the Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking category, alongside Disney’s Patrice: The Movie. However, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, despite earning four other Emmy nominations for directing, editing, writing, and musical score, was excluded from this top category. Gold Derby's early Emmy predictions now show The Remarkable Life of Ibelin as the early front-runner over I Am: Celine Dion.

Documentary Filmmaking

Contender

Odds

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1.

The Remarkable Life of Ibelin

The Remarkable Life of Ibelin

65.2%

2.

I Am Celine Dion

I Am: Celine Dion

33.0%

3.

Patrice

Patrice: The Movie

1.8%

Meanwhile, Netflix’s Will & Harper is competing in the Documentary or Nonfiction Special category against Deaf Presidents Now! (Apple TV+), Martha (Netflix), Pee-wee as Himself (HBO Max), and Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius) (Hulu). Our data has Pee-wee as Himself is the current favorite, with Will & Harper coming in a close second.

Documentary Special

Contender

Odds

1.

Pee-wee as HimselfAdvertisementAdvertisement#_R_1in2adkalhb5fiv5vddbH1_ iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#_R_2in2adkalhb5fiv5vddbH1_ iframe

Pee-wee as Himself

65.2%

2.

Will and Harper

Will and Harper

29.5%

3.

Sly Lives

Sly Lives!

--

4.

Deaf President Now

Deaf President Now!

3.6%

5.

MarthaAdvertisementAdvertisement#_R_1r72adkalhb5fiv5vddbH1_ iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#_R_2r72adkalhb5fiv5vddbH1_ iframe

Martha

1.8%

Winners will be announced at the 2025 Creative Arts Emmys taking place Sept. 6 and Sept. 7 in Los Angeles.

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