The Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences has announced that Stories We Tell, the NFB-produced,  intimate, unflinching portrayal of Sarah Polley’s family by the actress/director, is one step away from securing an Academy Award nomination in the Documentary Features category.

Whittled down from an initial field of 147 qualifiers, Stories We Tell is now in the final 15 and will advance to the next round of voting, with Documentary Branch members selecting five finalists from the current field to compete in the 86th edition of the Academy Awards.

The only Canadian entry in the field, Stories We Tell will vie against the following titles for consideration: The Act of Killing; The Armstrong Lie; Blackfish; The Crash Reel; Cutie and The Boxer; Dirty Wars; First Cousin Once Removed; God Loves Uganda; Life According to Sam; Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer; The Square; Tim’s Vermeer; 20 Feet from Stardom and Which Way Is The Front Line from Here? The Life And Time Of Tim Hetherington.

The NFB is no stranger to garnering Academy Award nominations, accumulating 72 since 1941 and nabbing 12 Oscars, including an Academy Honorary Award in 1988.

The Oscars nominations will be announced on January 16, 2014; with the ceremony itself skedded for Sunday, Mar. 2, 2014 in Hollywood, televised live to more than 225 countries and territories around the world.