'' O.J. : Made in America '' is a 2016 American documentary , produced and directed by Ezra Edelman for ESPN Films and their '' 30 for 30 '' series . It was released as a five-part miniseries and in theatrical format . The documentary explores race and celebrity through the life of O. J. Simpson , from his emerging football career at the University of Southern California , and his celebrity and popularity within American culture , to his trial for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Lyle Goldman , and subsequent acquittal , and how he was convicted and imprisoned for another crime 13 years later . '' O.J. : Made in America '' premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22 , 2016 , and was theatrically released in New York City and Los Angeles in May 2016 . It debuted on ABC on June 11 , 2016 , and aired on ESPN . The documentary received critical acclaim and won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 89th Academy Awards . It was the longest film in the '' 30 for 30 '' catalogue and to ever receive an Oscar nomination and win ( surpassing '' War and Peace '' ) . The documentary became the last of its type to be nominated and win an Oscar after a new Academy rule barred any " multi-part or limited series " from being eligible for the documentary categories
89th Academy Awards
89th Academy Awards
O.J.: Made in America