LOS ANGELES, Nov 18, 2009 (AFP) - Films about subjects as varied as dolphin-hunting and high fashion are among documentaries hoping to be nominated for an Oscar, according to a shortlist released Wednesday 18 November.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said the final five films nominated for the coveted best documentary statuette at next year's Oscars would be chosen from a shortlist of 15 films.

The list includes critically acclaimed and controversial environmental thriller "The Cove", which chronicles the annual slaughter of dolphins in the Japanese coastal town of Taiji.

Other nominees include "Valentino: The Last Emperor," director Matt Tyrnauer's portrait of haute couture icon Valentino Garavani and "The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers," about Vietnam War-era whistleblower Ellsberg.

Nominations for the 82nd Academy Awards will be announced on February 2 in Beverly Hills, roughly one month before the Oscars are held at Hollywood's Kodak Theater on March 7.