Films covering conflicts* from World War II to Iraq dominated* a shortlist* of movies that will compete for an Academy Award for the best documentary of 2007.

On the list released on Monday, eight of the 15 films deal with past or current wars. Among the others is Michael Moore’s “Sicko,” a controversial* film about American health care.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards the Oscars, also included “Lake of Fire,” a highly-praised portrayal of the battle over abortion* and “Please Vote for Me,” about children in China holding an election.

Left out were a widely praised documentary about the Apollo 11 mission, “In the Shadow of the Moon,” “The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters” about a video game competition and “The Devil Came on Horseback,” about the war in Darfur.

The Academy will reduce the list from 15 to five in January and a winner will be announced with other Oscars on February 24 in a worldwide telecast.

Among the war films on the list are Charles Ferguson’s “No End in Sight,” which tracks how the United States got into the Iraq war, according to the filmmaker.

Also dealing with Iraq are “Body of War,” about a paralyzed* soldier returning home and “Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience.”

“Taxi to the Darkside” deals with the Afghan war and tells of the death of a taxi driver at a U.S. military base, and “Nanking” which looks at the killing of 300,000 civilians* in China by Japanese troops in 1937.

Also on the list are “For the Bible Tells Me So,” “Autism: The Musical” and “The Price of Sugar.”

(SD-Agencies)