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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