The Grierson Trust has announced the shortlist for the 2020 British Documentary Awards in association with All3Media.
The COVID-19 pandemic makes its presence felt in multiple categories alongside some of the most talked about programmes of the year, including Prince Andrew and the Epstein Scandal: The Newsnight Interview and Mary Beard’s Shock of the Nude.
The impact of the pandemic can be felt in the Best Series category with Hospital: Coronavirus Special and also in the Best Arts or Music category with Grayson Perry’s Art Club. Meanwhile, big screen, big hitter For Sama features in the Cinema category and small screen returners 24 Hours in Police Custody, Long Lost Family and Race Across the World appear within Best Series and Best Constructed Series shortlists.
Lorraine Heggessey, Chair of The Grierson Trust says: “This is a particularly challenging time for filmmakers, so I’m pleased to have this opportunity to celebrate some of the most outstanding factual programmes broadcast in the past 12 months. This year’s shortlist showcases the creativity and fearlessness of the world’s filmmakers as they take viewers to the heart of issues affecting all our lives. I’m also thrilled that 2020 shortlist represents the biggest range of channels, broadcasters and platforms to date, as commissioners recognise the crucial role the documentary plays in every schedule.”
The 104 shortlisted films and eight presenters will now go forward to final nominations and judging ahead of 48th annual awards ceremony on 10th November 2020.
The BBC dominates the Science and Natural History categories and tops the shortlist with 44 entries in the running overall. Netflix has over 50% of the Best Series shortlist with 12 films in total. Channel 4 have 11 in the mix. ITV has five films listed, Sky has three, Al Jazeera, Apple+, Nat Geo and Amazon Prime all have two each. Completing the list with a film apiece are Channel 5, Discovery, S4C, BT, ESPN, YouTube and Fields of Vision while the remainder is made up of festival and university screenings alongside theatrical releases.
The full shortlist:
Envy Best Single Documentary – Domestic
The Case of Sally Challen
Minnow Films for BBC Two
Eirlys, Tim a Dementia (Eirlys, Tim and Dementia)
Cwmni Da for S4C
The Family Secret
Candour Productions for Channel 4
Seahorse: The Dad Who Gave Birth
Grain Media in association with Glimmer Films & The Guardian for Sheffield Doc/Fest
The Street
WagonTrail Productions for General theatrical release
Suicidal: In Our Own Words
Proper Content for Channel 5
Tell Me Who I Am
Lightbox for Netflix
War in the Blood
Minnow Films for BBC Two
The Open University Best Single Documentary – International
Becoming
Higher Ground Productions & Netflix for General theatrical release
Crip Camp
A Higher Ground & Rusted Spoke Production in association with Little Punk, JustFilms & Ford Foundation for Netflix
The Day California Burned
Brook Lapping Productions & BBC Current Affairs London for BBC Two
Ethiopia-Eritrea: Rebirth at the Border
BBC for BBC World Service YouTube channel
The Great Hack
A Noujaim Films Production & an othrs Production for Netflix
A High School Rape Goes Viral: Roll Red Roll
Sunset Park Pictures & Brass Mill Media for BBC Three
I Am Duran
Ad Hoc Films for Amazon Prime, Sky & BT TV
Untouchable: The Rise and Fall of Harvey Weinstein
Lightbox for BBC Two
Best Current Affairs Documentary
Al Jazeera Investigations: Diplomats for Sale
Al Jazeera Media Network for Al Jazeera
The Nightcrawlers
Violet Films for National Geographic
Prince Andrew and the Epstein Scandal: The Newsnight Interview
BBC Newsnight for BBC Two
Sex for Grades
BBC World Service for BBC Africa
Stacey Dooley Investigates: Nigeria’s Female Suicide Bombers
BBC Northern Ireland for BBC Three
Storyville: On the President’s Orders
Mongoose Pictures for BBC Four
Undercover with the Clerics
BBC News Arabic for BBC News Arabic
Undercover: Inside China’s Digital Gulag
Hardcash Productions for ITV
Storm Best Arts or Music Documentary
The $50 Million Art Swindle
Fig Leaf Films & Top Hat Productions for BBC Two
The Black Godfather
Boardwalk Pictures & Hudlin Entertainment for Netflix
Cindy Sherman #Untitled
BBC Studios for BBC Four
Grayson Perry’s Art Club – Episode 3
Swan Films for Channel 4
Imagine… Edna O’Brien: Fearful and Fearless
BBC Studios for BBC One
Mary Beard’s Shock of the Nude
Lion Television for BBC Two
Show Me the Picture: The Story of Jim Marshall
Bailey Kennedy Production for General theatrical release
Terms and Conditions: A UK Drill Story
Century Films for You Tube Originals
Channel 5 Best Historical Documentary
Apollo 11
Statement Pictures for General theatrical release
Crip Camp
A Higher Ground & Rusted Spoke Production in association with Little Punk, JustFilms & Ford Foundation for Netflix
Exposed: The Church’s Darkest Secret – Episode 2
Top Hat Productions for BBC Two
A House Through Time – Episode 1
Twenty Twenty Productions for BBC Two
Jade: The Reality Star Who Changed Britain – Episode 1
Blast! Films for Channel 4
The Last Dance – Episode 7
ESPN Film & Netflix present a Mandalay Sports Media Production in association with NBA Entertainment for Netflix & ESPN
Lost Lives
DoubleBand for BBC One Northern Ireland
Rise of the Nazis – Episode 1
72 Films for BBC Two
Sargent-Disc Best Science Documentary
8 Days: To the Moon and Back
BBC Studios – The Science Unit & The Open University for BBC Two
The Big Picture – The World According to AI: The Bias in the Machine
Al Jazeera English for Al Jazeera
Einstein’s Quantum Riddle
Windfall Films for BBC Four
Mad Cow Disease: The Great British Beef Scandal
RAW for BBC Two
Meat: A Threat to Our Planet?
RAW for BBC One
War in the Blood
Minnow Films for BBC Two
What’s the Matter with Tony Slattery?
Sundog Pictures for BBC Two
When Bridges Collapse: The Genoa Disaster
Windfall Films for BBC Two
Discovery Best Natural History Documentary
The Elephant Queen
Apple, Mister Smith & Deeble & Stone for Apple TV+
The Last Igloo
Swan Films for BBC Four
The Octopus in my House
Passion Planet for BBC Two
Seven Worlds, One Planet: Antarctica
BBC Studios Natural History Unit for BBC One
The Story of Plastic
The Story of Stuff Project in association with React to Film for Discovery
Takaya: Lone Wolf
Talesmith, Cineflix & Wild Wolf Media for BBC Four
Tigers: Hunting the Traffickers
Grain Media for BBC Two
Wild Cuba: A Caribbean Journey
Crossing the Line Productions for BBC Two
Best Entertaining Documentary
The Dog House – Episode 3
Five Mile Films for Channel 4
Harry’s Heroes: Euro Having A Laugh – Episode 1
Talkback for ITV
Kathy Burke’s All Woman – Episode 2
Flicker Productions for Channel 4
Love is Blind – Episode 3
Kinetic Content for Netflix
The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan: Zimbabwe
Rumpus Media for BBC Two
The Pet Talent Agency: Barking Mad
Nineteen11 for Channel 4
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness – Episode 2
Goode Films Production in association with Library Films & Article 19 Films for Netflix
Tyson Fury: The Gypsy King – Episode 2
Optomen Television for ITV
Netflix Best Documentary Series
24 Hours in Police Custody
The Garden Productions for Channel 4
The Devil Next Door
One Man Show & Submarine Deluxe Production in association with Yes Studios for Netflix
Don’t F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer
RAW for Netflix
Hometown: A Killing
Forest & 7 Wonder for BBC Three
Hospital: Coronavirus Special
Label 1 for BBC Two
The Innocence Files
A Story Syndicate Production & Jigsaw Production in association with Endeavor Content & One Story Up for Netflix
Jade: The Reality Star Who Changed Britain
Blast! Films for Channel 4
The Pharmacist
The Cinemart for Netflix
Channel 4 Best Constructed Documentary Series
The British Tribe Next Door
Voltage TV for Channel 4
The Heist: Million Pound Bank Job
Shine TV for Sky 1
Long Lost Family
Wall to Wall Media for ITV
Portrait Artist of The Year
Storyvault Films for Sky Arts
Race Across the World
Studio Lambert for BBC Two
The Rap Game
Naked for BBC Three
The Restaurant that Makes Mistakes
CPL Productions & Motion Content Group for Channel 4
Who Are You Calling Fat?
Love Productions for BBC Two
BFI Doc Society Fund Best Cinema Documentary
American Factory
Higher Ground Productions & Participant Media for Netflix for General theatrical release
For Sama
ITN Productions for General theatrical release
Honeyland
Production Team for General theatrical release
Midnight Family
Production Team for General theatrical release
Midnight Traveller
Production Team for General theatrical release
Mike Wallace is Here
Production Team for General theatrical release
Mystify: Michael Hutchence
Ghost Pictures & Passion Pictures for General theatrical release
Talking About Trees
Agat Films for General theatrical release
The Rumi Foundation Best Documentary Short
Country Girl
Production Team for Open City Docs Film Festival, Hot Docs, Aesthetica
Days of Black and Yellow
Production Team for Field of Vision
If You Knew
Prettybird & Try Hard Films for Sheffield Doc/Fest
Lost & Found
National Geographic Documentary Films Presents in association with The Nobel Prize, a Rideback & Grain Media Production for National Geographic
Motherland
Beehive Films for BFI Player, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+ & Curzon Home
That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore
Forest of Black for Edinburgh International Film Festival
Tony Fraginals
Autokino & Third Films for London Short Film Festival
Witness: The Mortician of Manila
Disobedient Films & Al Jazeera Witness for Sheffield Doc/Fest
All3Media Best Student Documentary
Are You Staring?
Holly Xue; Goldsmiths College
Bananas
Sara Montoya Sepulveda, Mel Barnes, Rachel Roberts, Ethan Jeffrey, Breen Turner & Marco Valerio Caminiti; National Film & Television School
Beyond Illusion and Doubt
Gwenllian Thurstan; UCL
Bringing Home the Blubber
Molly Adams; London College of Communication
The Daydreamers
Thomas Renckens, Said Englund, Ed Coltman, Natalia Tsupryk, Yin Lee & Vigdis Maack; National Film & Television School
Inside a Marriage
Ben Cheetham & Margred Pryce; National Film and Television School
Miss Curvy
Ghada Eldemellawy & Gareth Pugh; National Film and Television School
They
Louisa Rechenbach, Louisa Rechenbach, Zachariah Brown, Nicky Chue & Caleb Watson; London College of Communication
Warner Bros TV Production Best Documentary Presenter
DAVID OLUSOGA for The Unwanted: The Secret Windrush Files
Uplands Television for BBC Two
EMILY MAITLIS for Prince Andrew & the Epstein Scandal: The Newsnight Interview
BBC Newsnight for BBC Two
JESY NELSON for Jesy Nelson: Odd One Out
October Films for BBC One
JOANNA LUMLEY for Joanna Lumley’s Cuban Adventure: Havana to Haiti
Burning Bright Productions for ITV
KATHY BURKE for Kathy Burke’s All Woman
Flicker Productions for Channel 4
MIRIAM MARGOLYES for Miriam’s Big Fat Adventure
Wild Pictures for BBC Two
MOBEEN AZHAR for Hometown: A Killing
Forest & 7 Wonder for BBC Three
STACEY DOOLEY for Stacey Dooley: On the Psych Ward
True Vision for BBC Three
Jon Creamer
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