O.J.: Made in America

O.J.: Made in America
A collage of various images of O.J. Simpson. In front of the collage, a hand with a black glove with an American flag painted on it. Blood can be seen dripping from the middle finger. Various accolades can be seen in between the hand.
Television release poster
Directed byEzra Edelman
Produced by
CinematographyNick Higgins
Edited by
  • Bret Granato
  • Maya Mumma
  • Ben Sozanski
Music byGary Lionelli
Production
companies
Distributed byWalt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release dates
  • January 22, 2016 (2016-01-22) (Sundance)
  • May 20, 2016 (2016-05-20) (United States)
Running time
467 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$5 million[2]

O.J.: Made in America is a 2016 American documentary, produced and directed by Ezra Edelman for ESPN Films and their 30 for 30 series. It was released as a five-part miniseries and in theatrical format. O.J.: Made in America premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2016, and was theatrically released in New York City and Los Angeles in May 2016 by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It debuted on ABC on June 11, 2016, and aired on ESPN.

The documentary explores race and celebrity through the life of O. J. Simpson, from his emerging football career at the University of Southern California, and his celebrity and popularity within American culture, to his trial for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Lyle Goldman, and subsequent acquittal, and how he was convicted and imprisoned for the Las Vegas robbery 13 years later.[3]

The documentary received critical acclaim and won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 89th Academy Awards. It was the longest film in the 30 for 30 catalogue[4] and longest film to ever receive an Oscar nomination and win[5] (surpassing War and Peace).[6] The documentary became the last of its type to be nominated and win an Oscar after a new Academy rule barred any "multi-part or limited series" from being eligible for the documentary categories.[7] Edelman received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming for his work on this project. The series also received a Peabody Award for its work.

  1. ^ Schwindt, Oriana (January 24, 2017). "ESPN Films Scores First Oscar Nomination for O.J.: Made in America". Variety. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  2. ^ Lewis, Andy (January 17, 2017). "How O.J.: Made in America's Director Found a Fresh Angle on the Simpson Murder Saga". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Announcement was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Blyth, Antonia (December 20, 2016). "Ezra Edelman on O.J.: Made In America: "I Never Really Thought He Was Going to Say Yes"". Deadline. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  5. ^ Verhoeven, Beatrice (February 26, 2017). "OJ: Made in America is Longest-Ever Oscar-Winning Movie". TheWrap. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  6. ^ Roy, Jessica (February 27, 2017). "O.J.: Made in America is now the longest film to ever win an Oscar". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  7. ^ McNary, Dave (April 7, 2017). "Oscars: New Rules Bar Multi-Part Documentaries like O.J.: Made in America". Variety. Retrieved December 6, 2017.