MUMBAI: Out of 124 documentary feature films based on various Jewish and Israeli topics, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has selected 15 semi-finalists for the Oscars. And making the cut is Grammy Award winner singer Amy Winehouse’s documentary- ‘Amy’, directed by Asif Kapadia.

The British documentary based on the ‘Rehab’ singer is described by her brother as “A little Jewish kid from North London with a big talent.” This indeed is true, for Winehouse started writing her own music at 15. In 2000, she grew into a musician, and eight years later, she won five Grammy Awards in one night for her hit album- ‘Back to Black’.

Winehouse’s success also attracted a lot of controversies on the personal front, especially her relationship with her husband Blake Fielder-Civil. Unfortunately, it all came to a halt with her death in 2011 due to drug abuse and alcohol poisoning. Winehouse was only 27 at the time.

In addition to ‘Amy’, other documentaries to make it to the semi-final list for the Oscars are two American-Jewish filmmakers. One is Davis Guggenheim, director of ‘He Called Me Malala,’ an intimate portrait of Malala Yousafzu, of Pakistan, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 17 for her advocacy of education for girls. The other is Joshua Oppenheimer, whose ‘The Look of Silence’ documents the killing during 1965 and 1966 of some 500,000 alleged Communists by the Indonesian military.

The final list of contenders for the Oscars will be revealed on 15 January, 2016 with five documentaries being selected out of 15. The Academy Awards will be held on 28 February, 2016 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California.