Senna may have caught the imagination of more cinema-goers than just confirmed revheads, but it has not felt the love of those charged with deciding who goes forward to next year's Oscars.
Asif Kapadia's documentary about the life and death of the charismatic Brazilian racing driver is not one of the final 15 titles on the nomination list for the next stage of the competition.
This omission comes despite Senna's stellar performance at the UK and US box offices, following its win at the Sundance Film Festival.
The Guardian reports today that critically acclaimed titles similarly omitted include Steve James's The Interrupters and Werner Herzog's death row documentary Into the Abyss.
Of the 15 films on the shortlist, five will be put forward as officially Oscar-nominated. These will be announced along with the other Oscar nominations on 24 January 2012, with the Academy Awards to finally choose its favourite on 26 February.