Chuck Hagel weathered quite the storm from his fellow Republicans during his confirmation hearing for Secretary of Defense. But part of the debate strewn about in those eight hours pertained to something very much at the fore of discussion in this year’s documentary feature race.

I’ll be breaking down the category in an upcoming edition of the Oscar Guide, but one of the nominees got name-checked by Sen. Richard Blumenthal during the hearing. In asking for a “strong commitment” on the issue of rape in the military along with Sen. Kirsten Gillbrand, Blumenthal actually asked Hagel if he had seen Kirby Dick’s film “The Invisible War.”

All eyes are on the popularity of “Searching for Sugar Man” to turn up an Oscar for the film in a few weeks, but it’s possible something like Dick’s film, which has a real shot at bringing change, might be weightier and mean more to voters. Who knows what opening the category up to the entire membership could mean, but never rule out this kind of attention.

Check out a clip of the exchange below.