ENVY Best Single Documentary – Domestic

A Paedophile in My Family: Surviving Dad

Sophie Oliver, Jessie Versluys, Colette Hodges, Jamie Balment, Mia Harvey, Val Croft

Frank Films – Channel 4

Emily is a successful businesswoman and mother, who, on the surface, has an enviable life. Unbeknown to friends, she carries the weight of a childhood no one should experience, repeated sexual abuse by her father. Emily contacts people from her past to ask how the abuse remained hidden. She uncovers a shocking revelation about her father’s manipulation and cowardliness. It’s an emotional portrayal of the effects of long-term abuse and the power of speaking up.

Anorexic

Production Team

Proper Content – Channel 5

Anorexic takes viewers to the heart of the eating disorder crisis. Through observational filming, extraordinarily candid interviews and intimate, self-filmed diaries, this film tells the ongoing story of three young women caught in the grip of this life-threatening illness at a critical phase, and their families fighting to save their lives. With the condition affecting every area of their existence, it also explores the idea of how the ‘anorexic mind’ governstheir every move.

Deborah James: Bowelbabe in Her Own Words

Deborah James, Sara Hardy, Gwyn Jones, Lucie Kon, Emma Hindley, Vanessa Cobb

From living with incurable bowel cancer, to Damehood, and to her untimely death, this archive-based feature documentary details the last extraordinary five years of cancer campaigner Deborah James’s life.

Lewis Capaldi: How I’m Feeling Now

Joe Pearlman, Sam Bridger, Alice Rhodes, Marisa Clifford, Isabel Davis, Stuart Soutar

A Netflix Documentary, BMG Presents in association with Quickfire Films, A Pulse Films Production – Netflix
This intimate, all-access documentary chronicles Lewis Capaldi’s journey from ambitious teen with a viral performance to Grammy-nominated pop star.

Lyra

Alison Millar, Jackie Doyle, Chloe Lambourne, Siobhan Sinnerton, Mark McCauley, David Holmes
In association with Northern Ireland Screen and TG4 and HiddenLight – Channel 4
Lyra is an intimate portrait of murdered journalist, Lyra McKee made by her close friend Alison Millar. Using personal archive, recordings from Lyra’s dictaphone and her written word, the film is carefully crafted to allow Lyra to tell her own story. From growing up as a ‘ceasefire baby’ in Belfast to becoming an internationally renowned journalist who tirelessly sought justice for others, the film examines the fragility of peace through her life and her death.

Matt Willis: Fighting Addiction

David Clews, Grace Reynolds, Hannah Lowes, Orlando Robinson, Shane McCormack, Louise Ryan, Louise Ryan
Twofour – BBC
Matt Willis may seem to have it all. He’s part of successful pop band, Busted, has a flourishing acting career and is happily married to TV presenter Emma Willis with three children. But, behind the success, there is one thing that often dominates his thoughts: his addictions. This honest, raw documentary sees Matt open up about his past and the impact it has on his family and looks into what helps him and others stay clean.

Name Me Lawand

Edward Lovelace, Fleur Nieddu, Sam Arnold, Beyan Taher, Neil Andrews, Marisa Clifford

Pulse Films, Doc Society, Electric Shadow Company – London Film Festival

Name Me Lawand is a rapturous portrait of a deaf Kurdish boy’s emotional journey towards discovering how to express himself. A love letter to the power of communication and community.

The Real Mo Farah

Leo Burley, Hannah Richards, Rick Barker, Marvyn Benoit, Shona Thompson, Zad Rogers

Atomized Studios, Red Bull Studios – BBC

Sir Mo Farah reveals the shocking truth about his childhood, the journey he made from Somaliland to the UK as a young boy, and the subsequent years that led to him to become the most successful British track athlete in modern Olympic Games history.

HBO Documentary Films Best Single Documentary – International

A House Made of Splinters

Darya Bassel, Monica Hellstrøm, Simon Lereng Wilmont, Signe Byrge Sørensen, Tobias Janson, Vika Khomenko
Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, Story AB, Moon Man, Donkey Hotel – BBC
In a large ramshackle house near the front line in war-torn eastern Ukraine, a group of Ukrainian women run an orphanage. Children whose homes have been shattered by poverty, violence and alcohol can safely stay there for up to nine months until a decision is made on whether to return them home, foster them or move them to another orphanage.Filmed before Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

All That Breathes

Shaunak Sen, Aman Mann, Teddy Leifer

Rise Films – HBO/Sky Documentaries

As legions of birds fall from New Delhi’s darkening skies, and the city smoulders with social unrest, two brothers race to save a casualty of the turbulent times: the black kite, a majestic bird of prey essential to their city’s ecosystem.

Civil: Ben Crump

Production Team

A Netflix Documentary in association with Khalabo Ink Society, One Story Up, Soundview Projects – Netflix
Ben Crump, also known as “Black America’s attorney general,” pulls back the curtain on his life as a family man and civil rights leader.

Escape from Kabul Airport

Jamie Roberts, Dan Reed, William Grayburn

AMOS Pictures – BBC

This dramatic documentary tells the inside story of the largest airlift in modern US history, marking the end of America’s longest war, the 20-year-face-off between the Afghan Taliban and US-led NATO forces. Featuring never-before-seen footage and exclusive interviews with evacuees, eyewitnesses, US Marines and Taliban fighters, a historic confrontation plays out amidst the desperate crowds, gunfire and explosions as the US Marines stand-off against the Taliban.

Into the Deep

Emma Sullivan, Mette Heide, Roslyn Walker, James Marsh, Joe Beshenkovsky, Anders Refn

A Netflix Documentary, a Plus Pictures Production – Netflix

When journalist Kim Wall disappears after boarding inventor Peter Madsen’s submarine, his changing story about her fate masks a terrifying truth.

Panorama – Mariupol: The People’s Story

Robin Barnwell, Hilary Andersson, Darren Kemp, Guy Creasey, Serhiy Solodko, Taras Shumeyko

Top Hat Productions and Hayloft Productions – BBC

Told and filmed by the people of Mariupol, this is the deeply personal story of the destruction of a Ukrainian city. The documentary follows residents as they film themselves from the start of the invasion to the devastation of their city two months later. Tens of thousands of civilians were killed. More than in any European city since WWII. It is a story of war crimes but also one of amazing courage and undaunted spirit.

Super Eagles ‘96

Yemi Bamiro, Nic Zimmermann, Lia Nicholls & Julia Nottingham, Jaime Ackroyd, Thomas Farnon Ba, Batunde Adefuye, Monica Mwangi
Dorothy St Pictures – Prime Video
Super Eagles ‘96 charts the thrilling journey of the Nigerian men’s football team at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta Georgia in 1996. Despite a backdrop of intense political and social unrest which had engulfed Nigeria for decades, the hope that the national football team offered, (fittingly nicknamed as the Super Eagles) helped unify a divided country in ways nobody had ever imagined.

The Fire Within: Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft

Werner Herzog, Julien Dumont, Mandy Leith, Peter Lown, Alexandre Soullier, Jessica Winteringham
Brian Leith Productions, Titan Films, Bonne Pioche, Abacus Media Rights – BBC
June 3rd, 1991, on Mount Unzen, a pyroclastic flow descended at over 100mph from the peak of the volcano. The flow killed dozens including Katia and Maurice Krafft, French volcanologists and filmmakers. The Kraffts left a huge archive of footage, unprecedented in its spectacular beauty. With use of this archive, Werner Herzog creates a requiem to observe their work and pay homage to the way filmmaking can celebrate the hypnotic power of nature.

Televisual Best Current Affairs Documentary

Children of the Taliban

Marcel Mettelsiefen, Jordan Bryon, Stephen Ellis, Juan Camillo Cruz, Sayed Aman, Farzad Fetrat
Moondogs – Channel 4
This documentary tells the story of four young children living in Kabul, Afghanistan. It focuses on two boys and two girls whose lives have changed dramatically ever since U.S. troops completed their withdrawal from the country last summer, and the Taliban swept to power.

Inside Russia: Putin’s War at Home

Esella Hawkey, Gesbeen Mohammad, Vasiliy Kolotilov, Sasha Odynova, Maria Merkulova, Mark Summers
Hardcash Productions – ITV
Filmed in secrecy across Russia, this is the compelling inside story of defiant Russians risking their freedom to oppose Putin’s war in Ukraine. This intimate character-led documentary follows the lives of activists, a filmmaker, an academic, and two journalists investigating the true figure of Russian casualties. Facing the worst human rights crackdown since the Soviet era, their lives are transformed forever. It’s the human story of the 21st century struggle between freedom and authoritarianism.

Judi Love: Black, Female and Invisible

Anna Manton, Lizzy Elton, Janine Weaver, Angela Ferreira, Maxine Watson, Sandra Smith

Douglas Road Productions – Channel 4

The odds of success are stacked against Black British women because the intersection of being both Black and female can result in a unique form of oppression and prejudice that has become known as ‘misogynoir’. In Black, Female and Invisible, comedian and presenter Judi Love explores the statistically proven disadvantages she and other Black women face in everyday life in the UK.

Panorama – Mariupol: The People’s Story

Robin Barnwell, Hilary Andersson, Darren Kemp, Guy Creasey, Serhiy Solodko, Taras Shumeyko
Top Hat Productions and Hayloft Productions – BBC
Told and filmed by the people of Mariupol, this is the deeply personal story of the destruction of a Ukrainian city. The documentary follows residents as they film themselves from the start of the invasion to the devastation of their city two months later. Tens of thousands of civilians were killed. More than in any European city since WWII. It is a story of war crimes but also one of amazing courage and undaunted spirit.

Nazanin

Darius Bazargan, Nevine Mabro, Ben de Pear, Chloe Lambourne, Sarah Gharib, Pamella Bisson
649 Media and Channel 4 – Channel 4
In 2016 Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested at Tehran airport while flying home to London. She was separated from her baby Gabriella and sentenced to five years in prison for spying. Back in the UK, her husband Richard launches a relentless public campaign to reunite his family. He discovers Nazanin’s fate is bound up in the murky world of British arms dealing. This intimate film is both a love story and a real-life political thriller.

Retrograde

Matthew Heineman, Caitlin Mcnally, Carolyn Bernstein, Baktash Ahadi, David Fialkow, Joedan Okun
National Geographic Documentary Films – Disney+
Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Matthew Heineman’s latest film offers a cinematic and historic window onto the end of America’s longest war, and the costs endured for those most intimately involved.

The Crossing

Handa Majed, Jamie Welham, Majed Neisi, Ella Newton, Ben Ferguson, David Modell

DM Productions – ITV

The Crossing set out to forensically investigate exactly why at least 31 lives were lost on the 24th November 2021 in the English Channel; the busiest shipping lane in the world. A diverse and dedicated group of journalists worked with the families of those who died to establish who was on the doomed boat, the reasons why they risked everything that night, and who was responsible for their deaths.

The Shamima Begum Story

Joshua Baker, Sara Obeidat, Sasha Achilli, Simon Mcmahon, Sarah Waldron, Olivia Badnell

BBC Current Affairs – BBC

For the first time, Shamima Begum has given what she says is her full account of everything that happened since she disappeared from the streets of London aged 15, heading to join ISIS in war-torn Syria. Investigative journalist Josh Baker has been retracing her journey and meticulously piecing together what happened to find the truth. This is the culmination of eight years of work to understand one of the most contentious stories in Britian today.

Best Arts Documentary

“Sr.”

Production Team

A Netflix Documentary in association with TEAM DOWNEY & LIBRARY FILMS Production – Netflix
A portrait of the life and career of filmmaker Robert Downey Sr. that evolves into a larger meditation on art, mortality, and healing generational dysfunction.

Eric Ravilious – Drawn to War

Margy Kinmonth, Maureen Murray, David Trotter, David Verey, Rob Goldie, Richard Ranken

Foxtrot Films Ltd – Theatrical release

Eric Ravilious is as compelling and enigmatic as his art. Margy Kinmonth’s film brings to life this brilliant but still hugely undervalued British artist. Featuring contributions from Ai Weiwei, Alan Bennett, Grayson Perry, Robert Macfarlane and others, the film is told in Ravilious’s own words and set in the dramatic wartime locations that inspire him. Caught in the crossfire of war 80 years ago, Ravilious’s legacy largely sank without trace, until now.

Arena – James Joyce’s Ulysses

Adam Low, Joanna Crickmay, Michael Hewitt, Diarmuid Lavery, Martin Rosenbaum

DoubleBand Films, Lone Star Productions – BBC

One hundred years since it was published, Adam Low’s Arena – James Joyce’s Ulysses unlocks Joyce’s masterpiece in all its surprising, poetic, moving, verbose, sexually explicit and endlessly hilarious glory.

The Mysterious Mr Lagerfeld

Michael Waldman, Lorraine McKechnie, David Hill, Calum Leslie, Dee Edmonds

Finestripe Productions – BBC

Karl Lagerfeld was one of the most recognisable figures in fashion – and one of the most mysterious. His influence was immeasurable, but how many people really knew the man behind the sunglasses? The Mysterious Mr Lagerfeld discovers the man through an array of interviews with those who were closest to him, many speaking exclusively and for the first time.

Is That Black Enough for You?!?

Elvis Mitchell

A Netflix Documentary, a Makemake Entertainment Production – Netflix

Culture critic and historian Elvis Mitchell traces the evolution — and revolution — of Black cinema from its origins to the impactful films of the 1970s.

Home – France: Hourré House

Production Team

An Apple TV production in association with Media Weaver Entertainment, Four M Studios, Altimeter and Films A24 – Apple TV+
In this globe-spanning docuseries, Home guides the audience inside the world’s most extraordinary homes and the groundbreaking ideas and inspiring stories behind them; unveiling the boundary-pushing imagination of the visionaries who dared to dream and build them, challenging conventional concepts of “home” and rethinking how we live.

The Black Italian Renaissance

Production Team

A Sky Italia and Tiwi co-production – Sky Arts

In the halls of the Uffizi Gallery, the great Venetian Palaces and the naves of Roman churches, Renaissance artworks conceal countless faces hidden in plain sight. They are the African and afro-descendant characters who lived during the Italian Renaissance. From the first Duke of Florence, Alessandro de’ Medici to Botticelli’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, we will discover a whole new side of the Renaissance: a complex, multiethnic era, layered in different social classes.

Becoming Frida Kahlo

Louise Lockwood, Becky Marshall, Ether Gimenez, Nancy Bornat, James Rogan, Mark Hedgecoe
Rogan Productions Scotland – BBC
This striking series strips away the myths to reveal the real Frida, a passionate and brilliant artist living through extraordinary times. Taking viewers on a beautiful, intimate and heart- breaking journey, it reveals the raw ambition, talent and trauma that made her the arts superstar she is today.

Best Music Documentary

Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World – Episode 2

Yemi Bamiro, Helen Bart, Shianne Brown, Sam Emmery, Danielle Peck, Anna Sadowy

BBC Studios Documentary Unit – BBC

Chuck D of Public Enemy leads a cast of Hip Hop icons and cultural commentators as they chart the inexorable rise of Hip Hop in 80s America. During this turbulent period of US history that sees Reaganomics flourish, crack cocaine obliterate inner city communities, and the War on Drugs lead to militaristic policing, Hip Hop speaks truth to power with acts such as Public Enemy, NWA and Ice T leading the way.

Gary Numan Resurrection

Randall Wright, Julie Buckland, Sam Richards, Monica Ramirez Leon, Kev Robertson

Storyvault Films – Sky Arts

Following the fascinating story of British Rock Star Gary Numan, this documentary timelines his turbulent career, from the crushing lows to the exhilarating highs.

The Hacienda: The Club That Shook Britain

Matt Drury, Michelle Turner, Mark Robinson, Jess Illingworth, Gurbir Ghillon

Wise Owl Films – BBC

This BBC Two documentary tells the incredible story of The Hacienda, the club that unleashed the acid house and rave scene in the 80s and 90s. Timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of its opening, the film charted The Hacienda’s cultural legacy combining rare and unseen archive with first-hand testimony from those who there, including Peter Hook and Stephen Morris (Joy Division/New Order), and famous club-regulars like Noel Gallagher and Shaun Ryder.

If These Walls Could Sing

Mary McCartney, John Battsek, Sarah Thomson, Alice Webb, Marc Robinson

Disney Original Documentary – Disney+

If These Walls Could Sing gives exclusive access to the most famous and longest-running studio in the world, Abbey Road Studios. In this personal film of memory and discovery, director Mary McCartney guides us through nine decades to tell the stories of some of the studio’s most iconic recordings and the people who made them happen.

Little Richard: I Am Everything

Lisa Cortes, Robert Friedman, Caryn Capotosto, Liz Yale Marsh, Mike Powers, Anita May Rosentstein
Bungalow Media + Entertainment for CNN Films and HBO Max, in association with Rolling Stone Films – Dogwoof on Demand

Premiering at Sundance Film Festival, Little Richard: I Am Everything uncovers the alternative origins of rock’n’roll through its originator and most influential pioneer, Little Richard, all through a wealth of archival footage and interviews with renowned artists including Mick Jagger, Tom Jones, Billy Porter and Nile Rodgers.

Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues

Sara Bernstein, Justin Wilkes, Sacha Jenkins, Julie Anderson

An Apple Original Film in association with Imagine Documentaries and Polygram Entertainment – Apple TV+

This definitive documentary offers an intimate and revealing look at the world-changing musician through a lens of archival footage and never-before-heard home recordings and personal conversations. Directed by Sacha Jenkins, it honours Armstrong’s legacy as a founding father of jazz and a cultural ambassador of the United States. The film shows how his life spans from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement, and how he became a standing figure in that turbulent era.

Moonage Daydream

Brett Morgen

Live Nation Productions and Public Road Productions – Theatrical release

Moonage Daydream illuminates the life and genius of David Bowie, one of the most prolific and influential artists of our time. Told through sublime, kaleidoscopic, never-before-seen footage, performances and music, Brett Morgen’s feature length experiential cinematic odyssey explores David Bowie’s creative, musical and spiritual journey. The film is guided by David Bowie’s own narration and is the first officially sanctioned film on the artist.

Nothing Compares

Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie, Kathryn Ferguson, Mick Mahon, John Reynolds, Charlotte Cook
Tara Films and Ard Mhacha Productions, in association with Field of Vision, Screen Ireland, BFI Doc Society Fund, ie: Entertainment and Northern Ireland Screen — Theatrical release

Nothing Compares is the story of Sinéad O’Connor’s phenomenal rise to worldwide fame and how her iconoclastic personality resulted in her exile from the pop mainstream. Focusing on her prophetic words and deeds from 1987-1993, the film reflects on the legacy of this fearless artist through a contemporary feminist lens.

Broadcast Sport Best Sports Documentary

All or Nothing: Arsenal

Clare Cameron, John Douglas, Mark Raphael, Jemma Chisnall, Billie Hussein, Leo Fawkes

72 Films – Prime Video

All or Nothing: Arsenal follows the iconic football club in what would turn out to be an unforgettable season. With unprecedented access to players and staff for a year, it captures the highs and lows of life on and off the pitch. As crowds return to stadiums for the first time since the pandemic, pressure is on Arsenal’s manager Mikel Arteta and his young team to get back to their former glories and back into Europe.

Blood, Sweat and Cheer

George Hoagy Morris, Georgina Mills, Louise Bray, Oliver Baker, Steve Robinson

Little Bird Films Ltd – BBC

For the Welsh national cheer squad, nothing means more than representing their country at the highest level. They’re willing to give it everything, but how will they fare in a final showdown for gold against cheerleading superstars Team USA? Capturing the highs, lows, twists and turns, this empowering film follows the disabled and non-disabled athletes of

Team Wales Adaptive Abilities on and off the mat, as they prepare for the World Cheerleading Championships in Florida.

Caught Out: Crime, Corruption, Cricket

Production Team

Passion Pictures in association with MOW Productions – Netflix

Caught Out is an explosive feature length documentary that blows the lid on the biggest match fixing scandal to rock the world of international cricket. It is a pulsating story that looks at the trajectory of cricket in India, brimming with unexpected twists and turns whilst exploring how the cricketing fraternity fought back from the corruption scandal to make it the spectacle that it is today.

FIFA Uncovered – Episode 3

Production Team

A Netflix Documentary Series, a Ventureland and Passion Pictures Production – Netflix

Following Russia and Qatar’s unexpected wins of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids, shifty transactions come to light, suggesting bribery and betrayal.

The Figo Affair

David Tryhorn, Ben Nicholas, Sam Santant, Jonathan Rogers, Marie-Denise Dormis, Max Dobbyn
Pitch Productions – Netflix
This documentary spotlights one of the most contentious deals in football history and the extraordinary player at the center of the storm: Luis Figo.

Italia 90: Four Weeks That Changed the World – Episode 1

Production Team

Blast! Films – Sky Documentaries

Told by an international roster of iconic interviewees, including Paul Gascoigne and Lothar Matthäus, this is the definitive story of the World Cup that forever changed football.

Kelly Holmes: Being Me

Lucy Rogers, Jon Gill, Tony Pastor

Goalhanger Films – ITV

In this powerful and raw documentary, double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes, opens up about her sexuality for the first time and discusses her significant mental health struggles. The film explores the reasons why she felt unable to publicly come out, which include the fact that she was a high-profile athlete at a time when few others were openly gay.

The Real Mo Farah

Leo Burley, Hannah Richards, Rick Barker, Marvyn Benoit, Shona Thompson, Zad Rogers

Atomized Studios, Red Bull Studios – BBC

Sir Mo Farah reveals the shocking truth about his childhood, the journey he made from Somaliland to the UK as a young boy, and the subsequent years that led to him to become the most successful British track athlete in modern Olympic Games history.

Rio Ferdinand’s Tipping Point

Matt Smith, Ash Bendelow, Laide Sadiq, Rio Ferdinand, Martin Thompson, Wendie Ottewill

Sportfive/Brave Films, Circle Circle Films, New Era Ingenious – Prime Video

With racism, homophobia and mental health issues all on the rise in football, Rio is done talking about things and tokenistic campaigning and wants to create real change. Rooted in a personal drive to understand, unpack and tackle the problems, Rio wants to meet people from across the game to change the landscape for future generations.

Super Eagles ‘96

Yemi Bamiro, Nic Zimmermann, Lia Nicholls, Julia Nottingham, Jaime Ackroyd, Thomas Farnon Ba, Batunde Adefuye, Monica Mwangi
Dorothy St Pictures – Prime Video
Super Eagles ‘96 charts the thrilling journey of the Nigerian men’s football team at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta Georgia in 1996. Despite a backdrop of intense political and social unrest which had engulfed Nigeria for decades, the hope that the national football team offered, (fittingly nicknamed as the Super Eagles) helped unify a divided country in ways nobody had ever imagined.

Best History Documentary

Dodi: Last Days of a Playboy

Luke Korzun Martin, Cecilia Valensise, Rachael Paine, Daniel Pearl, Samantha Anstiss, Tom Anstiss
Wonderhood Studios – Channel 5
The story of Princess Diana’s death is one of the most well-told stories in history, but one half of that story is missing. For the first time, this feature documentary reveals the life and legacy of the other passenger in the car, Dodi Fayed. Dodi: The Last Days of a Playboy is a nuanced and tragic tale exploring how a kaleidoscope of seminal moments in history brought together a Princess, a Patriarch and a Playboy.

Dublin Narcos

Benedict Sanderson, Edmund Coulthard, Sacha Baveystock, Claire McFall, Laura Dunne, Bradley Manning
Blast! Films – Sky Documentaries
Featuring extraordinary first-hand accounts, this docudrama recounts how drugs changed the very fabric of Dublin as it transformed from a recession-blighted city in the 1980s to a growing metropolis.

Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World – Episode 1

Yemi Bamiro, Helen Bart, Shianne Brown, Sam Emmery, Danielle Peck, Anna Sadowy

BBC Studios Documentary Unit – BBC

Chuck D from Public Enemy leads a cast of Hip Hop icons and cultural commentators in this account of Hip Hop’s origins. They portray an America mired in crisis, reeling from the turbulence of the 60s and the post-civil rights struggles. Social conditions are dire, the result of successive government policies which disproportionately affect people of colour.

Yet it’s in the most depressed neighbourhoods that creativity flourishes and Hip Hop is born.

The Man Who Played with Fire

Production Team

Raw TV – Sky Documentaries

The Man Who Played with Fire is a tense, thriller-like documentary that follows journalist Jan Stocklassa as he delves into the assassination of Sweden’s Prime Minister Olof Palme in 1986. As part of his journey, Stocklassa leans on the detective work of author Stieg Larsson (The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo), who spent decades investigating the crime before his own death in 2004, aged 50.

Murder in the Pacific – Episode 1

Chloe Cambpell, Caroline Hawkins, Raissa Botterman, Jennie Baker, Gregg Morgan, Anna Brett
Oxford Scientific Films – BBC
The first of three-parts. It’s 1985 and Greenpeace activists are in the Pacific protesting against nuclear weapons-testing following the devastation it has caused to island communities in the region over decades. As they prepare for their mission, two bombs go off, sinking their ship and killing a crew member. The hunt for the perpetrators begins.

Nelly & Nadine

Production Team

Auto Images, Associate Directors, UpNorth Film – BBC

Nelly & Nadine is the unlikely love story between two women falling in love on Christmas Eve, 1944, in the Ravensbruck concentration camp. In the middle of the horrors of the war, the two women begin their life-long love journey.

Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland – Episode 3

Production Team

KEO films and Walk on Air Films for BBC, PBS and The Open University – BBC

Twenty-five years on from the Good Friday Agreement, Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland gives voice to the people who lived through the Troubles, sharing intimate testimonies from all sides of the conflict. Combining unfiltered personal accounts with archive footage, the series tells the story of ordinary men and women who were drawn, both willingly and unwillingly, into the violence that spanned three decades, and who are still dealing with its legacies today.

The Princess

Simon Chinn, Jonathan Chinn, Ed Perkins, Jinx Godfrey, Daniel Lapira, Vanessa Tovell

Lightbox, Sky in association with HBO – Sky Documentaries

Relying strictly on archival footage, this stirring documentary offers a completely new perspective on Lady Diana’s life, work, and traffic death.

Vatican Girl: The Disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi – Part 1

Production Team

Raw TV – Netflix

On a hot night in June, Vatican City teen Emanuela Orlandi disappears. Then, words from Pope John Paul II – and a strange caller – complicate matters.

A Very British Way of Torture

Edward McGown, Robert Newman, Mark Hedgecoe, James Rogan, Sophia Vyas, Soleta Rogan
Rogan Productions – Channel 4
For the first time in television, this film tells the full story of how Britain secretly used torture in its war against the Kenyan anti-colonialist Mau Mau movement in the 1950s. Featuring what are likely some of the last ever interviews with Mau Mau survivors, the programme uncovers accounts of murder, rape and forced castrations that challenge the long-held assumption that the British “don’t do torture.”

The Open University Best Science Documentary

The Cancer Conflict

Thomas Meadmore, Nic Guttridge, Rebecca Nicholls, Alice Brooks

Go Fish Films, JAVA Films – iTunes and Prime Video

We follow cancer patients Grant and Surinder who take treatment into their own hands and must choose between evidence-based medicine or unproven alternatives. Their moving personal stories are supported by testimony from doctors who explain their treatments, and the terrible risks. They are just two examples of the difficulties and dilemmas faced by hundreds of thousands of families fighting cancer every day. When your life is on the line, how far would you go?

Disability and Abortion: The Hardest Choice

Maia Liddell, Kate Monaghan, Rosa Moratiel, Clare King

RDF Television, Hey Sonny – Channel 4

A powerful documentary examining the complex and nuanced issues around terminating a pregnancy after 24 weeks where there may be a chance of certain impairments or conditions. Presented by BAFTA-nominated actor Ruth Madeley and actor Ruben Reuter who have spina bifida and Down’s syndrome respectively themselves.

Evolve – Episode 1

Donovan Chan, Jocelyn Little, Rob Sixsmith, Chris Baron, Irene Lobo, Clyde Cheng

Beach House Pictures – Curiosity Stream

Evolve is a new, 4K premium series exploring the fascinating and emerging world of biomimicry—using unique animal adaptations to find futuristic and sustainable solutions to human problems. Headlined by biologist Patrick Aryee, Evolve investigates how the unique adaptations of some of the most astonishingly superpowered species on the planet evolved over the course of millions of years and explores how they could potentially revolutionize humanity’s future by inspiring new technologies.

Head On: Rugby, Dementia and Me

Tom Barry, Mark Casebow, Paul van Dyck, Sharul Khan, Nicky Murphy, Felicity Arkell

Raw TV – BBC

Steve Thompson played a vital role in winning the Rugby World Cup 2003, but aged 42, he can’t remember it. His life has been turned upside down by a devastating diagnosis of early onset dementia. Filmed over a year with Steve and his family as they attempt to come to terms with this diagnosis, Steve meets brain experts, former teammates and journalists, and a new generation of rugby players worried about their long-term brain health.

Inside Our Autistic Minds – Episode 1

Amanda Lyon, Joe Myerscough, Emma Jones, Shiva Talwar, Nick Ransom, Eloise Millard

BBC Studios Documentary Unit – BBC

Naturalist and Presenter Chris Packham experiences the world differently… because he’s autistic. He’s concerned that the wider world doesn’t fully understand what being autistic means and wants to bridge this gap. By teaming up with filmmakers, graphic designers and musicians, Chris helps a group of autistic people create short films to reveal to their friends and families how they’re truly feeling inside – what’s really going on inside their autistic minds.

Limitless With Chris Hemsworth – Episode 6

Production Team

Nutopia, with Protozoa and Wild State – Disney+

Chris Hemsworth is on an epic mission to discover how to live better for longer. With the help of world-class experts, he embarks on a series of thrilling challenges to push himself to new limits and stop the diseases of old age before they take hold. Guided by the latest science, Chris explores how we all can unlock our potential to stay fitter, healthier, and happier throughout our lives.

My Dead Body

Sophie Robinson, Hannah Brownhill, Rachael Swindale, Bud Gallimore, Matt Lowe, Toby Stevens
141 Productions, an Objective Media Group company – Channel 4
My Dead Body is Toni Crews’ story. Discovering her cancer was terminal at 29, Toni agreed to donate her body to medical science, consenting for it to be on public display. Narrated by her own words, the film follows Professor Claire Smith, Head of Anatomy at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, and her team as they dissect Toni’s body, charting the course of the disease from initial diagnosis to Toni’s death four years later.

A Trip to Infinity

Production Team

A Netflix Documentary, a Room 608 and MakeMake Production – Netflix

Eminent mathematicians, particle physicists and cosmologists dive into infinity and its mind-bending implications for the universe.

Best Natural History or Environmental Documentary

Aftershock: Everest and the Nepal Earthquake – No Way Out

Liesel Evans, Olly Lambert, Natasha Zinni, Tamar Lawson, Tom Dixon Spain, Dom Coke

A Netflix Documentary Series, a RAW Production – Netflix

In the aftermath of the earthquake, search and rescue efforts begin from the city to the mountains as survivors look for hope in desperate situations.

Big Oil vs the World – Denial

Dan Edge, Jane McMullen, Emma Supple, Sarah Waldron, Raney Aronson-Rath, Ella Newton

Mongoose Pictures, BBC, PBS Frontline and ARTE – BBC

Big Oil vs the World tells the decades-long secret history of how the oil industry delayed action on climate change. Drawing on thousands of newly discovered documents, Denial is a revelatory and forensic look at how major oil companies fuelled climate change science denial, despite warnings from their own scientists of the risks carbon emissions posed to the planet – the catastrophic consequences of which we are living through today.

Chimp Empire – Paradise

James Reed, Matt Houghton, Callum Webster, Matt Cole

Keo Films and Underdog Films for Netflix – Netflix

Within the central group of Ngogo chimps, alpha male Jackson faces possible threats to his leadership and mother- of-two Christine educates her new baby.

The Elephant Whisperers

Kartiki Gonsalves, Guneet Monga, Achin Jain, Douglas Blush, Karan Thapliyal, Sanchari Das Mollick
A Netflix Documentary, a Sikhya Entertainment Production – Netflix
Bomman and Bellie, a couple in south India, devote their lives to caring for an orphaned baby elephant named Raghu, forging a family like no other.

Fire of Love

Sara Dosa, Shane Boris, Ina Fichman, Greg Boustead, Carolyn Bernstein, Jessica Harrop

National Geographic Documentary Films – Disney+

The extraordinary love story of intrepid French scientists Katia and Maurice Krafft, who lived capturing the most spectacular imagery ever recorded of their greatest passion: volcanoes.

Frozen Planet II – Episode 6

James Reed, Usha Amin, Elizabeth White, Mark Brownlow, Helen Bishop, Kate Horvath

A BBC Studios Natural History Unit Production for BBC & BBC America co-produced with ZDF and France Televisions. A BBC Open University Partnership – BBC
In this final episode of the Frozen Planet II series, we meet the scientists and people dedicating their lives to understanding what these changes mean, not just for the animals and people who live there, but for the planet as a whole. This documentary tackles one of the most challenging subject areas with a sense of urgency and hope. Filmed with cinematic, yet intimate style, much of this was filmed by small, often one-person teams.

Lion: The Rise and Fall of the Marsh Pride

Jo Shinner, Kirsty Cunningham, Dulcie Arnold, Ceri Hubbard, Sreya Biswas, Pamela Gordon

BBC Studios Natural History Unit – BBC

This ground-breaking feature documentary tells the story of the Marsh Pride lions battling for survival in Kenya’s Maasai Mara Reserve. Shifting loyalties, bloody take overs and sheer

resilience, the lions’ story is told by those who filmed them, who tried to protect them, who live alongside them and some who ultimately wanted them dead. This film seeks to understand the complex relationship between lions and humans in a world where they are increasingly at odds.

Macaque: Monkeys in the Mountains – A Dynasties Special

Rosie Thomas, Mary Melville, Simon Blakeney, Mike Gunton, Owen Porter, Caroline Quiros- Rees
BBC Studios Natural History Unit, BBC America, bilibili – BBC
This film shines a spotlight on an unsung hero, the Barbary Macaque of Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, for the very first time, following the twists and turns of the new alpha male, Mac, as he tries to lead his group for nearly two years. Dynasties gives a unique and intimate glimpse into their worlds. featuring never-before seen moments which surprised both the camera teams and the leading experts, who the crew worked closely with throughout.

Best Entertaining Documentary

24 Hours in A&E – Tales of the Unexpected

Production Team

The Garden – Channel 4

In the first episode outside London, we meet Senior Charge Nurse Lou who’s been in the Emergency Department at Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham for 30 years, “I would have got less for murdering someone.” Her first patient is 45-year-old Kirsty whose ankle is hanging off after falling on a fun run whilst Dr Anju treats 93-year-old John’s sepsisinfection and has to deliver the worst news to his wife of 60 years, Flo.

A Bunch of Amateurs

Kim Hopkins, Margareta Szabo, Lisa Marie Russon, Caroline Cooper Charles, Megan Gelstein, Leah Marino
Labor of Love Films – BBC
Growing old amid flickering memories, one of the oldest amateur film clubs in the world is teetering on the brink of survival. Desperately clinging to their dreams, and to each other, this hilarious and moving portrait of artistic folly speaks to the delusional escapist dreamer in us all.

Joe Lycett VS Beckham: A Got Your Back Christmas Special

Emily Hudd, Iain Wimbush, Joe Lycett, James Kettle, Matt Nida, Tommy Forbes

Rumpus Media, My Options Were Limited – Channel 4

Joe Lycett locks horns with David Beckham to highlight the true cost of the 2022 World Cup and the dangers faced by LGBTQ+ people in Qatar. We join him in the nerve-shredding days leading up to his biggest headline-hijacking stunt to date as he issues Beckham an ultimatum. Joe sets a fresh standard, not only presenting a show which makes audiences laugh but educates them of events in the UK affecting us all.

Life After Deaf – John & Joe Bishop

Andrew Mackenzie, Caroline O’Neill, Charlie Melville, Drew Hill

South Shore Productions LTD – ITVX

This intimate documentary follows comedian John Bishop and his son Joe, who is 28 and going deaf – as they learn British Sign Language together. Their lessons expose the family’s painful avoidance of Joe’s deafness to date, but sign language, and some new friends in the deaf community, help father and son begin to communicate where words have so far failed them. John sets himself the challenge of performing a gig in BSL.

Louis Theroux Interviews… Dame Judi Dench

Production Team

Mindhouse Productions – BBC

In Louis Theroux Interviews, the documentary-maker and presenter Louis Theroux enters the realm of the long-form interview. But in typical Theroux fashion, this is the interview format re-invented: in-depth conversation interweaved with observational filming away from the interview setting. Using a mixture of long-form interview and immersive filming, Louis gets up close and personal with some of the most famous names in the United Kingdom, getting unprecedented access into their personal and private lives.

Pepsi, Where’s My Jet? – The Kid from Seattle

Production Team

A Netflix Documentary Series, Boardwalk Pictures, Untapped, North of Now – Netflix

Seven million Pepsi Points to win a fighter jet? It should have been impossible. But 20-year- old John Leonard sees the ad in 1995 – and finds a loophole.

Sex Actually with Alice Levine – Love Machines

Production Team

Mindhouse Productions – Channel 4

Alice’s voyage of sexual discovery will showcase what’s on offer in homes across Britain and, this time, the kinkiest parts of Europe and the USA. Her curiosity knows no bounds as she gets her head around a polycule, meets people who have taken food and sex to the next level and looks to the future where VR with an AI sex doll is a preferred partner of choice.

Trainwreck: Woodstock ’99 – You Can’t Stop a Riot in the 90s

Tom Pearson, Tim Wardle, Cassandra Thornton, Sasha Kosminsky, Jamie Crawford, Roger Houston
A Netflix Documentary Series, A RAW Production – Netflix
Tainted water and price gouging mar day three. Fear grips the finale, fires spread, and the mob takes over. Later, sexual assault allegations emerge.

Channel 4 Best Constructed Documentary Series

David Beckham: Save Our Squad

Production Team

Twenty Twenty, Studio 99 – Disney+

David Beckham is coming home. A career that has taken him to the summit of world football, is now heading back to its source – the Echo Premier League. In Save Our Squad, David Beckham is joining up with Westward Boys, an under 14’s grassroots side from East London who are in desperate need of help. Westward have not won a game all season, and the threat of being relegated looms large.

Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams

Andrew Mackenzie, Naomi Templeton, Cath Tudor, Drew Hill

South Shore Productions LTD – BBC

Sporting legend Freddie Flintoff takes on his toughest challenge yet, creating a cricket team from scratch. But can he inspire the next generation to give cricket a chance?

Inside our Autistic Minds

Amanda Lyon, Joe Myerscough, Emma Jones, Shiva Talwar, Nick Ransom, Eloise Millard

BBC Studios Documentary Unit – BBC

Naturalist and presenter Chris Packham experiences the world differently… because he’s autistic. He’s concerned that the wider world doesn’t fully understand what being autistic means and wants to bridge this gap. By teaming up with filmmakers, graphic designers and musicians, Chris helps a group of autistic people create short films to reveal to their friends and families how they’re truly feeling inside – what’s really going on inside their autistic minds.

Love, Faith & Me

Lucy Pilkington, Jo Woolf, Paul Shenkin, Rachel Millar, Miriam Kendlar, Anita Sandhu

Milk and Honey Productions – BBC

Love, Faith & Me explores what faith can teach us about relationships and family life. Focussing on one major faith per episode, each film follows an individual or family facing a challenge. Their stories are complemented by a chorus of people who share our contributors’ faith, ranging from scholars to influencers, the devout to the culturally curious. Their insight injects a layer of wisdom, humour and experience.

Monster Factory

Production Team

An Apple TV production in association with produced by Vox Media – Apple TV+

Welcome to The World-Famous Monster Factory, a school where spandex-clad misfits escape the confines of everyday life to chase the dream of going pro.

Race Across the World

Production Team

Studio Lambert – BBC

BAFTA-winning Race Across the World is back, as five teams race 16,000 km across the second-largest country in the world, Canada. Without smartphones, internet access or credit cards, and armed only with the cash equivalent of the route’s airfare, their ingenuity and determination is tested to the extreme. Along the way they must visit sevencheckpoints and rely on the kindness of strangers. It’s an epic and adrenaline-fuelled adventure into the unknown.

The Rap Game UK

Steve Earley, Trent Williams-Jones, Luke O’Callaghan, Natalie Wall, Eve Allen, Elisha Mansuroglu
Naked TV (a Fremantle label) and A&E – BBC
DJ Target, Krept & Konan return to Manchester for The Rap Game UK season four, where six up and coming artists battle it out to win £20k to further their music career. Over six episodes, the trio set various challenges to test the artists, and school them in key aspects of the music industry. The artists must show they have the best bars, and the stagepresence to become the UK’s next big rap star.

Ruby Wax Cast Away

Louise Quayle, Clive Tulloh, Gareth Prescott, Kevin Hewitt, Ben Scriven, Liane Cleril- Fontaine
Burning Bright Productions – Channel 5
Comedian Ruby Wax has been battling with depression for over 15 years. Now on a mission to open up public discussion about mental health, she’s putting her own mind through the ultimate test: marooning herself on an isolated Madagascan Island for ten days, pitting her wits against the uncompromising force of Mother Nature in an epic study of solitude and mental fortitude – where Ruby’s biggest challenge will be her own mind.

Netflix Best Documentary Series

Dublin Narcos

Benedict Sanderson, Sacha Baveystock, Edmund Coulthard, Claire McFall, Laura Dunne, Bradley Manning
Blast! Films – Sky Documentaries
Featuring extraordinary first-hand accounts, this docudrama recounts how drugs changed the very fabric of Dublin as it transformed from a recession-blighted city in the 1980s to a growing metropolis.

The Elon Musk Show

Marian Mohamed, Mark Raphael, Ben Brown, Wesley Thomas, David Glover, Florence Barrow
72 Films – BBC
Elon Musk is doing more to change the world than virtually anyone else alive. By interviewing the people closest to him, including family, friends and enemies, this documentary series uncovers the events that enabled him to become the richest man who has ever lived.

FIFA Uncovered

John Battsek, Miles Coleman, Daniel Gordon, Kevin Konak

A Netflix Documentary Series, a Ventureland, Passion Pictures Production – Netflix

From power struggles to global politics, an exploration of FIFA reveals the organisation’s checkered history — and what it takes to host a World Cup.

Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey

Production Team

A Netflix Documentary Series, a Participant Production, an Ark Media Production – Netflix
This docuseries examines the rise of Warren Jeffs in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and his shocking criminal case.

Libby, Are You Home Yet?

Anna Hall, Celia Jennison, Danielle Jones, Luke Rothery, Josephine Besbrode, Joanna Wilcock
Candour Productions – Sky Crime
Three-part series, Libby, Are You Home Yet? tells the story of Libby Squire, a 21-year-old student, who was abducted and murdered walking home from a club in her university city of Hull in 2019. Libby’s disappearance sparked the largest manhunt in Humberside Police history, which culminated in the arrest of local man, Pawel Relowicz, who had been leading a sick double life in which he stalked and sexually assaulted young women.

The Man Who Played with Fire

Production Team

Raw TV – Sky Documentaries

The Man Who Played with Fire is a tense, thriller-like documentary that follows journalist Jan Stocklassa as he delves into the assassination of Sweden’s Prime Minister Olof Palme in 1986. As part of his journey, Stocklassa leans on the detective work of author Stieg Larsson (The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo), who spent decades investigating the crime before his own death in 2004, aged 50.

Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland

Production Team

KEO films and Walk on Air Films for BBC, PBS and The Open University – BBC

Twenty-five years on from The Good Friday Agreement, Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland gives voice to the people who lived through the Troubles, sharing stories from all sides of the conflict. Combining unfiltered personal accounts with archive footage, the series tells the story of ordinary men, women and children who were drawn, both willingly and unwillingly, into the violence that spanned three decades – and who are still dealing with its legacies today.

Parole

Liesel Evans, Alice Mayhall, Chris Taylor, Rick Barker, Lindsay Konieczny, Rob Weber

Raw TV with The Open University – BBC

Parole, a new five-part series, goes inside the high stakes world of parole hearings, where prisoners’ and victims’ and/or their families’ futures hang in the balance.
Filmed over a year with Parole Boards from across England & Wales, this series tackles the fundamental questions underlying the British justice system, around crime, punishment, reform, rehabilitation, repentance, and morality, and ultimately puts us, the viewer, at the centre of the debate. What would you decide?

Scouting for Girls: Fashion’s Darkest Secret

Production Team

A Guardian and Wonderhood Studios Production In association with Sky Studios – Sky Documentaries
The series tells a story that had remained buried, suppressed for many years and indeed decades because of the marginalisation of the female model victims and the big money from brands involved in the fashion industry. As young models often come from deprived and underrepresented socio-economic groups, they didn’t have a voice, so when theyattempted to talk about their abuse it fell on deaf ears.

Three Mothers, Two Babies, and a Scandal

Production Team

Firecrest Films – Prime Video

In the early days of the internet anything seemed possible. Suddenly, people could make global connections, and the law couldn’t keep up. In 2001, Judith Kilshaw found twin baby girls on an American adoption site and flew to California to collect them. Accused by the press of buying the babies and being party to their kidnap from their adoptive mum, she and the birth mother became the centre of the web’s first blockbuster scandal.

Red Bull Studios Best Cinema Documentary

All That Breathes

Shaunak Sen, Aman Mann, Teddy Leifer

Rise Films – Theatrical release

As legions of birds fall from New Delhi’s darkening skies, and the city smoulders with social unrest, two brothers race to save a casualty of the turbulent times: the black kite, a majestic bird of prey essential to their city’s ecosystem.

A Bunch of Amateurs

Kim Hopkins, Margareta Szabo, Lisa Marie Russon, Caroline Cooper Charles, Megan Gelstein, Leah Marino
Labor of Love Films – Theatrical release
Growing old amid flickering memories, one of the oldest amateur film clubs in the world is teetering on the brink of survival. Desperately clinging to their dreams, and to each other, this hilarious and moving portrait of artistic folly speaks to the delusional escapist dreamer in us all.

Eternal Spring (長春)
Jason Loftus, Masha Loftus, Yvan Pinard, Kevin Koo, David St-Amant, Daxiong
Lofty Sky Entertainment Inc. – Theatrical release
When Falun Gong members hack China’s state TV to expose repression, lives are changed. Comic artist Daxiong resents having to flee in the aftermath, but once overseas, he meets the lone surviving hijacker to escape. He uses his art to tell the resilient story of those fighting for freedom of belief. Hot Docs-winner Eternal Spring is the first documentary, first animation, and first Mandarin film to represent Canada at the Oscars® for best international feature.

Fire of Love

Sara Dosa, Shane Boris, Ina Fichman, Greg Boustead, Carolyn Bernstein, Jessica Harrop

National Geographic – Theatrical release

The extraordinary love story of intrepid French scientists Katia and Maurice Krafft, who lived capturing the most spectacular imagery ever recorded of their greatest passion: volcanoes.

Lyra

Alison Millar, Jackie Doyle, Chloe Lambourne, Siobhan Sinnerton, David Holmes, Mark McCauley
Erica Starling Productions, Channel 4, Northern Ireland Screen, TG4 and HiddenLight – Theatrical release

Lyra is an intimate portrait of murdered journalist, Lyra McKee made by her close friend Alison Millar. Using personal archive, recordings from Lyra’s dictaphone and her written word, the film is carefully crafted to allow Lyra to tell her own story. From growing up as a ‘ceasefire baby’ in Belfast to becoming an internationally renowned journalist who tirelessly sought justice for others, the film examines the fragility of peace through her life and her death.

Midwives

Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing, Ulla Lehmann, Mila Aung-Thwin, Bob Moore, Ken Pelletier, Shizuka Asakawa
Eye Steel Films — Theatrical release
Two midwives, one Buddhist and one Muslim, defy strict ethnic divisions to work side by side in a makeshift clinic in western Myanmar, providing medical services to the Rohingya of Rakhine State. Over five years we witness their struggles, hopes and dreams amidst an environment of ever-increasing chaos and violence.

Nothing Compares

Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie, Kathryn Ferguson, Mick Mahon, John Reynolds, Charlotte Cook
Tara Films and Ard Mhacha Productions, in association with Field of Vision, Screen Ireland, BFI Doc Society Fund, ie: Entertainment and Northern Ireland Screen — Theatrical release

Nothing Compares is the story of Sinéad O’Connor’s phenomenal rise to worldwide fame and how her iconoclastic personality resulted in her exile from the pop mainstream. Focusing on her prophetic words and deeds from 1987-1993, the film reflects on the legacy of this fearless artist through a contemporary feminist lens.

Sidney

Reginald Hudlin, Jesse James Miller, Oprah Winfrey, Derik Murray

An Apple Original Film in association with Harpo Productions and Network Entertainment – Theatrical release
From producer Oprah Winfrey and directed by Reginald Hudlin, this revealing documentary honours the legendary Sidney Poitier and his legacy as an iconic actor, filmmaker and activist at the centre of Hollywood and the Civil Rights Movement. Featuring candid interviews with Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Robert Redford, Lenny Kravitz, Barbra

Streisand, Spike Lee and many more, the film is also produced by Derik Murray, in close collaboration with the Poitier family.

All3Media Best Student Documentary

Cadáver

Benjamin Kodboel, Toni Llobet, Sam Zohdi, Frederik Ribergaard, Jack McCartney, Itzel Estrada Gonzalez, Marios Themistokleous
NFTS – University/College Screening
An undertaker collects the bodies of people who have drowned trying to reach Spain, then repatriates them to their home countries. Now, an unusual incident is forcing him to face his own mortality.

Dear Daughter

Yuqi Tang

UCL – University/College Screening

Shortly after she relocates to the UK, the filmmaker receives a message from her estranged mother in China. To understand why her mother became the woman she is, the filmmaker starts to record their conversations. She asks, tentatively, “What were you like before you had me?” After a long pause, her mother replies, “Happy.” Dear Daughter takes us on a personal yet universal journey into a mother-daughter relationship—sometimes frustrating, sometimes loving, and almost always, ambivalent.

Hope You Fail

Alison Grasso

Goldsmiths – University/College Screening

What is… a sprinkle? For Rich Myers, they’re more than colourful, edible, fun pellets — they’re a hill worth dying on. When Rich’s recently rebooted Leeds dessert shop Get Baked gets busted by Trading Standards for the use of illegal American sprinkles, it’s an opportunity for him to leverage his loyal social media following and make a grab for viral fame.

MARISMEÑO

Archie Kidd, Grace Peachey, Ciara McKenna, Matteo Tronchin, Jean-Marc Eck, Genevieve Reyes
NFTS – University/College Screening
A group of Andalusian cowboys dedicate themselves to maintaining the last wild herd of Marismeño horses, culminating in an ancient religious festival they call the ‘Saca de las Yeguas’ (The Rounding of the Marsh Mares).

My Mum Rita

Qiqi Hou, Yinzi Zeng, Roy Jox Fredstie, Julia Martin

London College of Communication – University/College Screening

For eight years, 68-year-old Louise has been looking after her mum Rita, who is 92 and living with dementia. As both women grapple with Rita’s rapidly deteriorating condition, Louise must decide the best path forward for both herself and her mother.

Tahlila (Lullaby)

Baha‘ AbuShanab

Goldsmiths – University/College Screening

A portrayal of a mother and daughter negotiating their shifting relationship. Amal must care for her daughter Rawan, who is balancing leaving from under her mother’s wing and challenging the social norms in Palestine.

Two Copper Wires

Miranda Stern, Yiwei Pu, Ashionye Ogene, Jo Abel, Alex Faingold, Carl Mason

NFTS – University/College Screening

One filmmaker tries to find connection by calling the UK’s last public telephone boxes. Like the filmmaker, the anonymous strangers who pick up are also looking for something at the other end of that line. Something we’ve lost somewhere along the way. And after finding that intangible thing, the filmmaker is liberated to speak openly about her own recovery from heroin, because the opposite of addiction isn’t sobriety, it’s connection. Authentic and meaningful human connection.

With Woman

Mia Harvey, Yu-Pu Pon, Luke Barnfather, Diana Duah, Sophie Esslemont, Baili Marti, Jacob Brown, Mara Ciobra
NFTS – University/College Screening
In Illinois, home-birth midwifery has been outlawed. Despite this, Star, a Black home-birth midwife, motivated by the high maternal mortality rates for Black women in hospitals, guides first time mother Raven through her perilous home- birth.

Fullwell 73 Best Documentary Short

Birdsong

Omi Zola Gupta, Sparsh Ahuja, Janamejaya Daroz, Giorgia Zarantonello, Carlos San Juan Juanchi
A Riverpunch Films & Lao New Wave Cinemna co-production – theguardian.com
Birdsong explores the dying whistling traditions of the Hmong people of northern Laos, whose sonic exchanges straddle the boundary between music and speech. The film follows the personal stories of three individuals from Long Lan village, as they reflect on their experience as practitioners of a vanishing musical language. The film explores how listening can change our perception of both society and nature, offering a glimpse into the philosophical relationship between sound and reality.

#BlackBoyJoyGone

Ashley Karrell, Isaac Ouro-Gnao, Lisa Marie Russo, Melanie Abrahams, Ashley Karrell

Panoptical – Festival release

Blending interviews, poetry, dance and storytelling, #BlackBoyJoyGone shares the hopeful perspectives of UK Black men who experienced mental illness, sexual trauma, and find strength through brotherhood.

Directed by Ashley Karrell and Isaac Ouro-Gnao, the film shares the hopeful perspectives of men through the Black Boy Joy motif and is a play on how we’re never ‘too far gone’ if we seek the right help to heal our wounds.

Clean

Miranda Stern, Reece Cargan

Bombito Productions – Edinburgh International Film Festival

A short and personal female centred documentary about addiction, and long-term recovery from it. This film weaves together observational and lyrical elements to take us into the challenging, deeply personal, and relatively unknown world of recovery – along with the processes of care that follow in the years after a period of active addiction.

Heart Valley

Christian Cargill, Kiran Sidhu, Lily Wakeley, Erland Cooper, Guy Chase, Max Ferguson-Hook

The New Yorker, Dalmatian Films – BBC

Heart Valley follows a day in the life of Wilf Davies, a kind and inquisitive shepherd from the small village of Cellan, Wales. He has never left his valley, eats the same meal every day and works his farm alone, where his family of one hundred black-spotted sheep rely on him.
The film looks at the world through Wilf’s eyes, asking questions about what it is we should truly value as a society.

Jill, Uncredited

Anthony Ing, Anthony Ing, Catherine Bray, Charlie Shackleton

Loop – London Film Festival

Prolific background actor Jill Goldston takes centre stage in this unique portrait. Constructed entirely from Jill’s performances – captured fleetingly in everything from Mr. Bean to The Elephant Man – the film is a lyrical journey through popular culture, and a haunting study of a life lived out of focus.

Lady of the Gobi

Khoroldorj Choijoovanchig, Chantal Perrin, Tessa Louise Salomé, Simon Le Berre, Luc Sorrel, Gael Rakotondrab
Petite Maison Productions – theguardian.com
On Mongolia’s coal highway to the Chinese border, truck driver Maikhuu dreams of a better life and financial security for her three children. However, the road from the mines to China is riddled with accidents, toxic pollution, poor hygiene and now, amid the Covid crisis, drivers face days of quarantine on the border. Trapped in a hazardous industry,Maikhuu’s journey reflects the human and environmental costs of Mongolia’s mining boom.

The Score

Aleksandra Bilic, Alice Popplewell, Mike Simpson, Alice Powell, Maja Bilic, Nikola Medic

My Accomplice – Sheffield DocFest

In a little house in Reading, Maja Bilic agrees it is time to compose a piece of music that could have defined her career – had it not been for the Bosnian war. To finish the piece she must return home, where her old piano still stands, untouched since 1992, to finally perform her piece of music. THE SCORE is an intervention, a collaboration and an immersion between the director and her mother.

Skyward

Jessica Bishopp, Laura Shacham, Jamie Kataky, Vera Simmonds, Anna MacDonald

BFI Doc Society and Guardian Documentaries – theguardian.com

Young birdwatchers Mya and Arjun feel the pressure of climate breakdown and the biodiversity crisis. Fascinated by migratory patterns, Mya spends her time searching for rare bird species, while Arjun is captivated by the beauty of birdsong. As their passion for nature inspires them to raise awareness of conservation and the climate emergency in their communities, they find themselves and their voices, emerging as local leaders among a new generation of conservationists.

Disney+ Best Documentary Presenter

David Baddiel for David Baddiel: Jews Don’t Count

Mindhouse Productions – Channel 4

Jews Don’t Count authored by David Baddiel is not a conventional ‘journey documentary’ where a presenter goes on a journey of discovery to reach a new understanding of the subject. David Baddiel knew what he wanted to say – that, in his opinion, anti-Semitism isn’t considered by the progressive left to be as unacceptable as other forms ofdiscrimination. David’s argument about anti-Semitism is eloquently expressed, but his irreverent humour means it’s also highly entertaining.

Emily Atack for Emily Atack: Asking for it?

Little Gem – BBC

In a deeply personal authored documentary for BBC Two, Emily Atack opens up her life, and her DMs, to the public as she attempts to understand why she is sexually harassed online on a daily basis. For the first time, Emily admits that her whole life she has felt blamed for the unwanted negative attention she gets from men. Can she finally stop blaming herself and recognise that she was never ‘asking for it’?

Emily Victoria for A Paedophile in My Family: Surviving Dad

Frank Films – Channel 4

Emily is a successful businesswoman and mother, who, on the surface, has an enviable life. Unbeknown to friends, she carries the weight of a childhood no one should experience, repeated sexual abuse by her father. Emily contacts people from her past to ask how the abuse remained hidden. She uncovers a shocking revelation about her father’s manipulation and cowardliness. It’s an emotional portrayal of the effects of long-term abuse and the power of speaking up.

Hannah Fry for Making Sense of Cancer with Hannah Fry

Curious Films – BBC

Professor Hannah Fry is used to investigating the world around her through numbers. When she’s diagnosed with cervical cancer at the age of 36, she starts to interrogate the way we diagnose and treat cancer, to ask whether we are making the right choices in how we treat this disease. Hannah charts her own cancer journey in raw and emotional personal footage, where the realities of life after a cancer diagnosis are laid bare.

Michael Palin for Michael Palin Into Iraq – Episode 2

ITN Productions – Channel 5

Michael Palin embarks on a three-week journey into Iraq, one of the most dangerous countries in the world. Following the Tigris River from its source in eastern Turkey to the Persian Gulf, Michael wants to discover what life is like for the 40 million people who live in Iraq. Iraq is often called the ‘cradle of civilisation’ and Michael wants to explore thecountry’s past as well as its present.

Munya Chawawa for How to Survive a Dictator with Munya Chawawa

Rumpus Media – Channel 4

Comedian Munya Chawawa wanted to return to his homeland, Zimbabwe to make a documentary about its notorious dictator, Robert Mugabe. His bags were packed, his flights were booked. But then his filming visas were mysteriously cancelled. With absolutely no explanation. So now he is travelling to South Africa to meet with Mugabe’s friends, hisfamily, his victims and his henchmen in an attempt to make the show in spite of them.

Olivia Attwood for Olivia Attwood: Getting Filthy Rich – Only Fans

Optomen Television – ITVX

Former Glamour model and reality TV star, Olivia Attwood explores the world of selling sex online without judgement. With the help of professional contributors, Olivia investigates how old school rituals such as sugar dating sites sit beside more modern phenomena like OnlyFans. By creating her own OnlyFans and Sugar Baby accounts, Olivia immerses herself to see what it’s like being an OnlyFans model, cam girl, porn star and sugar baby.

Runako Celina for Racism for Sale

BBC Africa Eye — BBC

Racism For Sale reveals how African children are being exploited to make personalised videos, including racist content, for sale on Chinese social media as part of a multi-million- dollar video industry. After analysing hundreds of videos and cross-referencing them against satellite imagery, Lead Investigator-reporter Runako and the BBC Africa Eye team track down and confront one prolific Chinese video producer who used very young children from rural Malawi to make and sell thousands of videos.