Because the film didn't fit neatly into any established categories at Cannes, the Jury created a special 55th Anniversary Award just for the film.
When the movie won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at The 75th Annual Academy Awards (2003), Michael Moore sparked a controversy by denouncing the George W. Bush administration on stage.
In May 2002 this film became the first documentary to compete in the Cannes Film Festival's main competition in 46 years.
At the Cannes Film Festival the film received a standing ovation that lasted 13 minutes.
The first rough cut of the film ran about six hours.