(SPOT.ph) The Oscar is a highly coveted prize among filmmakers. Before you can even be in the running to win one, you have to be selected by the The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It's a competition amongst the best of the best, and making it to even the shortlist is a feat in itself. The National Geographic documentary The Nightcrawlers, which is a look into President Rodrigo Duterte's "war on drugs," has been shortlisted for the 92nd Academy Awards' Documentary Short Subejct category.

After Duterte's victory in the 2016 presidential elections, he promised to eradicate drugs in the country with his "war on drugs," which has resulted in a slew of alleged extrajudicial killings all over the country. People are divided on the Philippine Drug War, and The Nightcrawlers shows accounts from both sides.

Directed by Alexander A. Mora, the film features a small group of Filipino journalists (like Patricia Evangelista and photojournalist Raffy Lerma) dedicated to capturing and telling the stories of those affected by it. The Nightcrawlers is produced by Joanna Natasegara, who won an Oscar for her 2016 film The White Helmets, which follows volunteer rescue workers in Syria.

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There are 96 films that qualified for the category, with only 10 making it to the shortlist. The official list of nominees will be announced on January 13, 2020.