The Grierson Trust has announced the final nominations for the 2024 British Documentary Awards with the BBC topping this year’s entries with 16 nominations.
Channel 4 has 12, and Netflix has 11. Other nominations go to Sky Documentaries with four, Paramount+ with two, and Disney+, ITV, National Geographic, Prime Video and Sky Nature with one each.
The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on 6thNovember at the Roundhouse in Camden.
Two production companies received three nominations. Mindhouse titles are nominated across three categories: Lockerbie (Best Documentary Series), Louis Theroux Interviews: Pete Doherty (Best Music Documentary), and The Space Shuttle That Fell to Earth (Best History Documentary). Hungry Bear Media’s Me and the Voice in My Head is nominated for three awards: Best Science Documentary, Best Single Documentary – Domestic, and Best Documentary Presenter.
This year’s awards include a new category, Best Popular Culture Documentary depicting people, events, movements or trends that have had a major impact on popular culture in recent years. The nominations are Arena – Being Kae Tempest, Big Zuu Goes to Mecca, Spacey Unmasked and Milli Vanilli, which is also nominated in the Best Music Documentary category.
The 2024 Best Documentary Presenter nominations recognise Joe Tracini for Me and the Voice in My Head, Nadifa Mohamed for Britain’s Human Zoos, Rose Ayling-Ellis for Rose Ayling-Ellis: Signs for Change, and Zuhair ‘Big Zuu’ Hassan for Big Zuu Goes to Mecca.
Several hard-hitting documentaries are nominated in multiple categories, covering the siege of Mariupol in the Best Current Affairs and Best Cinema Documentary categories, and the British forces’ withdrawal from Kabul in Best Documentary Series and Best Current Affairs Documentary categories.
The Best Arts Documentary category features films about Coco Chanel and the first black supermodel, alongside a Korean cinephiles club and the genius of Shakespeare, while the Best Natural History or Environmental Documentary category explores the worlds of tigers, leopards, lowland gorillas and six environmental heroes working to halt the global biodiversity and climate crisis.
The Best History and Science Documentary categories cover contemporary subjects including the rise of the far right and the miners’ strike, mental health and the impact of Alzheimer’s, assisted dying and the evolution of our planet.
The growing popularity and strength in sports documentaries is reflected in biographies of global stars Ronnie O’Sullivan, and Ricky Hatton alongside a portrait of an amateur football team comprising players with Down’s Syndrome and the risks taken by freedivers to break world records.
Best Single Documentary – Domestic includes the story of one of Britain’s best loved Paralympians searching for her birth mother, the impact of a paedophile hoax on a community, the budding career of a writer and director with Down’s Syndrome, as well as living with borderline personality disorder. Best Single Documentary – International includes films following the story of the winner of Turkey’s Got Talent as she recovers from a harrowing attack, a powerful account of the battle experiences of one Ukrainian infantry company filmed by the soldiers themselves, China’s surveillance state, and a father’s battle for justice.
Lorraine Heggessey, Chair of The Grierson Trust said: “This year’s nominees reflect the incredible depth of talent in documentary filmmaking, and especially the new, diverse voices on and off-screen breaking through to tell stories from different perspectives, which really captivate viewers on all channels and platforms. Our jurors were so impressed with the range and quality of the entries which demonstrate once again the creativity that we all must continue to nurture and celebrate during these challenging times for our industry.”
The full list of nominations
ENVY Best Single Documentary – Domestic
Accused: The Hampstead Paedophile Hoax
Story Films, All3Media International – Channel 4
Emily Turner, Simon McMahon, Tomasz Frymorgen, Lorenzo Levrini, Peter
Beard, Adam Hopkins
Ellie Simmonds: Finding My Secret Family
Flicker Productions – ITV
Jasleen Kaur Sethi, Colleen Flynn, Lucy Wilcox, David Thompson, Nick
Underhill, Kathryn Jein
Me and the Voice in My Head
Hungry Bear Media Ltd – Channel 4
Joe Tracini, Tom Green, Tommy Forbes, Dan Baldwin, Garry Crystal,
Georgie Bayford
Otto Baxter: Not a F***ing Horror Story
Story Films, Archface Films – Sky Documentaries
Daisy Allsop, Peter Beard, Bruce Fletcher, Evie Sangale, Rupert
Houseman, Otto Baxter
Best Single Documentary – International
My Name is Happy
October Films, Red Zed Films, Horovel Films – Channel 4
Nick Read, Ayse Toprak, Adam Bullmore, Mahmut Kaya, Meryem Yavuz,
Anna Price
To Kill a Tiger
Notice Pictures Inc. and The National Film Board of Canada –
Netflix
Nisha Pahuja, Cornelia Principe, David Oppenheim, Mrinal Desai, Mike
Munn, Dave Kazala
Storyville – Total Trust Surveillance State
Film Tank, Witfilm and Interactive Media Foundation, B8, ZDF,
Arte, NTR – BBC
Jialing Zhang, Knut Jäger, Michael Grotenhoff, Saskia Kress
Ukraine: Enemy in the Woods
HOYO Films, distributed by All3Media International – BBC
Claire Walker, Maryna Kotsyubenko, Stanislav Strilets, Kate Spankie,
Jonathan Smith, David Schweitzer
Televisual Best Current Affairs Documentary
20 Days in Mariupol
FRONTLINE, PBS and The Associated Press – Theatrical release
Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson-Rath, Derl McCrudden,
Vasilisa Stepanenko
Bobi Wine: The People’s President
Southern Films, Ventureland, National Geographic Documentary
Films – National Geographic
Christopher Sharp, Moses Bwayo, John Battsek, Paul Carlin, Dan Jones
Evacuation – We Just Left Them
Wonderhood Studios – Channel 4
Production team
You Are Not Alone: Fighting the Wolf Pack
Lucernam Films – Netflix
Almudena Carracedo, Robert Bahar, Katie Bryer, Samuel R. Santana,
Almudena Sánchez
Best Arts Documentary
Arena – Coco Chanel Unbuttoned
whynow Studios – BBC
Hannah Berryman, Janet Lee
Donyale Luna: Supermodel
Lightbox, Jeff Friday Media, The American Black Film Festival –
Sky Documentaries
Nailah Jefferson, Melissa Kramer, Melanie Sharee, Isoul Harris, Jonathan
Chinn, Simon Chinn
Shakespeare: Rise of a Genius – Episode 1
72 Films – BBC
David Glover, Julian Jones, Ella Gutteridge, Lisa Martinson, Alice
Boorman, Luke Boneham
Yellow Door: ’90s Lo-fi Film Club
Broccoli Pictures Co. Ltd – Netflix
Kim Hyung-oak, Lee Hyuk-rae
Sky Documentaries Best Music Documentary
Louis Theroux Interviews – Pete Doherty
Mindhouse Productions – BBC
Production team
Milli Vanilli
Keep On Running Pictures, Fulwell 73, MRC – Paramount+
Luke Korem, Bradley Jackson, Jon Michael Simpson, Hanif Abdurraqib,
Kim Marlowe, Patrick Berry
The Greatest Night in Pop
A Netflix Documentary, MRC Film, Dorothy St Pictures Production
in association with Makemake Entertainment – Netflix
Production team
Wham!
A Netflix Documentary, Ventureland, Passion Pictures, Library
Films, Nemperor Production – Netflix
Chris Smith, John Battsek, Simon Halfon, Gregor Lyon, Alex Black
Broadcast Sport Best Sports Documentary
Hatton
Noah Media Group – Sky Documentaries
Paul Yoshida, John McKenna, Ian Davies, Dan Dewsbury, Sam Bergson,
Emma Mason-Perrill
Mighty Penguins
Meadowlark, Firelight, Fever – Theatrical release
Louis Myles, Ahmed Twaij, Smriti Keshari, John Skipper, David Kempshall,
Kirin Alvi
Ronnie O’Sullivan: The Edge of Everything
Studio 99 – Prime Video
Sam Blair, James Davidson, David Beckham, Ross Connolly, David
Gardner, Nicola Howson
The Deepest Breath
An A24, Motive Films and Ventureland Production – Netflix
Laura McGann, John Battsek, Jamie D’Alton, Sarah Thomson, Anne
McLoughlin, Julian Hart
Best History Documentary
Defiance: Fighting the Far Right – Episode 1
Rogan Productions and GroupM Motion Entertainment in
association with Left Handed Films – Channel 4
Production team
Miners’ Strike: A Frontline Story
The Garden – BBC
Ben Anthony, Zac Beattie, Anna Price, Janine Melton, Lucie Duxbury, Guy
Meachin
Stamped from the Beginning
A Netflix Documentary, One Story Up Production – Netflix
Roger Ross Williams, David Teague, Alisa Payne, John Fisher, Francesca
Sharper, Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
The Space Shuttle That Fell to Earth – Episode 1
Mindhouse Productions – BBC
Production team
Best Science Documentary
Better Off Dead?
Burning Bright Productions, The Open University – BBC
Liz Carr, Clive Tulloh, Nina Davies, James Routh, Georgina Nicholson
Evolution Earth – Islands
Produced by Passion Planet in association with PBS and Arte
France for Love Nature – Sky Nature
Production Team\
Me and the Voice in My Head
Hungry Bear Media Ltd – Channel 4
Joe Tracini, Tom Green, Tommy Forbes, Dan Baldwin, Garry Crystal,
Georgie Bayford
The Jennings vs Alzheimer’s
Expectation Entertainment – BBC
Niamh Kennedy, Colin Barr, Arthur Cary, Rick Barker, Emma Lysaght,
Jess Austin
Best Natural History or Environmental Documentary
Living with Leopards
A Netflix Documentary, Wild Space Production in association with
Natural History Film Unit Botswana and Freeborne Media – Netflix
Production team
Planet Earth III – Heroes
BBC Studios Natural History Unit, co-produced by BBC America,
ZDF, FTV and The Open University – BBC
Michael Gunton, Matt Brandon, Jonny Keeling, Steve Greenwood, Abigail
Brown, Estelle Cheuk
Silverback
An Off the Fence Production for BBC in co production with France
Télévisions in association with Featuristic Films – BBC
Miles Blayden-Ryall, Andrew Zikking, Guy Gilbert, Sam Dawe, Tanwen
Hughes, Amy Freeman
Tigers on the Rise
Wildstar Films – Disney+
Production team
Channel 4 Best Popular Culture Documentary
Arena – Being Kae Tempest
Bohemia Films and The Open University – BBC
Production team
Big Zuu Goes to Mecca
Acme TV – BBC
Zuhair ‘Big Zuu’ Hassan, Kiz Hoque, Ross Cameron, Adnan Ahmed, Jaimie
D’Cruz
Milli Vanilli
Keep On Running Pictures, Fulwell 73, MRC – Paramount+
Luke Korem, Bradley Jackson, Jon Michael Simpson, Hanif Abdurraqib,
Kim Marlowe, Patrick Berry
Spacey Unmasked – Episode 1
Roast Beef Productions in association with All3Media
International – Channel 4
Katherine Haywood, Dorothy Byrne, Mike Lerner, Colin Moxon, Patrick
Strudwick, Janet Knipe
Netflix Best Documentary Series
American Nightmare
RAW – Netflix
Production team
Evacuation
Wonderhood Studios – Channel 4
Production team
Lockerbie
Mindhouse Productions – Sky Documentaries
Nancy Strang, John Dower, Claire McFall, Barnaby Fry, Dejan Cancar,
Charlie Hawryliw
The Push: Murder on the Cliff
Candour Productions – Channel 4
Anna Hall, Luke Rothery, Josephine Besbrode, Tom Whitaker, Kate Reid
Best Cinema Documentary
20 Days in Mariupol
FRONTLINE, PBS and The Associated Press – Theatrical release
Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson-Rath, Derl McCrudden,
Vasilisa Stepanenko
American Symphony
Higher Ground, Mercury Studios, Our Time Projects – Netflix
Production team
Kokomo City
Couch Potato Company, Madison Square Films – Theatrical release
D Smith, Harris Doran, Bill Butler
Queendom
Sundance Institute, Doc Society, Inmaat Productions, Vancouver
Film School – Theatrical release
Agniia Galdanova, Igor Myakotin, David France, Jess Search, Arnaud
Borges
All3Media Best Student Documentary
Beyond These Walls
National Film and Television School – University/college screening
Christine Seow, Jolinna Ang, Clare Maleeny, Nicholas Smyth, Diogo
Chaves, Ellen Yu
Hungry for Freedom
National Film and Television School – University/college screening
Rachata Thongruay, Athena Vlachos, Andy Sowerby, Olivier Sarrailh,
Marcin Mazurek
milk
National Film and Television School – University/college screening
Miranda Stern, Ashionye Ogene, Yiwei Pu, Liam Sharpe, Rotem Frimer,
Carl Mason
The Waiter, the Scientist and Jenny
National Film and Television School – University/college screening
Joe Snelling, Ben Sales, Omar Gabriel Delnevo, Nir Perlman, Carl Mason,
George Philip Blake
Fulwell 73 Best Documentary Short
Big Moves
Bridging the Gap: Outsiders – Edinburgh International Film
Festival
Sarah Grant, Sophie Chater, Jack Gemmel
BBC News Eye Investigations – Gaza 101: Emergency Rescue
BBC News Arabic, BBC World Service – BBC
Feras Al Ajrami, Mouna Ba, Mustafa Khalili, Mohamed Ibrahim, Julien El-
Hajj, Wahal El Saadi
Iranian Yellow Pages
Snow Films, WDM Entertainment – Netflix Still Watching YouTube Channel
Anna Snowball, Abolfazl Talooni, Christine Saab, Elisabeth Hopper, Alfred
Thirolle, Francesca Cattaneo
Ted & Noel
Happenstance Films – Channel 4
Julia Alcamo, Dan Hodgson, Mary Pattisson, Sarah Keeling, Morgan K
Spencer, Peter Edwards
Best Documentary Presenter
JOE TRACINI for Me and the Voice in My Head
Hungry Bear Media Ltd – Channel 4
Joe Tracini, Tom Green, Tommy Forbes, Dan Baldwin, Garry Crystal,
Georgie Bayford
NADIFA MOHAMED for Britain’s Human Zoos
Red Bicycle with Milk & Honey – Channel 4Paul Berczeller, Yasmin Hai, Nadifa Mohamed, Will Robson, Jeremy
Groman, Lucy Pilkington
ROSE AYLING-ELLIS for Rose Ayling-Ellis: Signs for Change
Rogan Productions – BBC
Production team
ZUHAIR ‘BIG ZUU’ HASSAN for Big Zuu Goes to Mecca
Acme TV – BBC
Zuhair ‘Big Zuu’ Hassan, Kiz Hoque, Ross Cameron, Adnan Ahmed, Jaimie
D’Cruz
Jon Creamer
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