The Grierson Trust has announced the shortlist for the 2021 British Documentary Awards.

The BBC tops the shortlist with 47 entries overall. Netflix has 21 films in the running; ITV has eight; Sky, nine and Channel 4 has 10 in the mix. Apple TV+ has six films listed. Al Jazeera, Vice, PSB International, Discovery, S4C all have one each while the remainder is made up of festival and university screenings alongside theatrical releases.

The awards are held in association with All3Media and Digital Broadcast Partners, Little Dot Studios.

The impact of the pandemic can still be felt in the shortlist: in the Best Presenter category Dr Chris and Dr Xand van Tulleken are shortlisted for Surviving the Virus: My Brother & Me alongside David Harewood’s Why is COVID Killing People of Colour? while Grayson Perry’s Art Club features for a second consecutive year in the Best Arts category. Other headline events of 2020 – including the death of George Floyd and increasing impacts of the climate crisis – are reflected in multiple films. Shortlisted films shining the spotlight on racism include Take Your Knee Off My Neck: My First Time, Leigh-Anne Pinnock: Race, Pop & Power, Anton Ferdinand: Football, Racism and Me and The School That Tried to End Racism. Meanwhile the newly expanded Best Natural History or Environmental category features the twice-shortlisted David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet and Climate Change: Ade on the Frontline.

Lorraine Heggessey, Chair of The Grierson Trust says: “Following a truly challenging year, I’m delighted to announce such a diverse and engaging shortlist, celebrating some of the most outstanding and impactful factual programmes screened in the past 12 months.

“I’m also thrilled that the 2021 shortlist continues our trend in representing the biggest range of channels, broadcasters and platforms, as commissioners recognise the crucial role the documentary plays in every schedule.”

The 112 shortlisted films and eight presenters will now go forward to final nominations and judging ahead of 49th annual awards ceremony on 10th November 2021.

Thirteen films have been shortlisted in multiple categories. They are:

  • David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (Single Documentary – Domestic & Natural History or Environmental)

  • Defending Digga D (Music & Single Documentary – Domestic)

  • The Dog House (Constructed Documentary Series & Entertaining)

  • Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds (Single Documentary – International & Science)

  • Grayson’s Art Club (Arts & Constructed Documentary Series)

  • In Cold Blood (Current Affairs & History)

  • Locked In: Breaking the Silence (Single Documentary – Domestic & Science)

  • My Octopus Teacher (Single Documentary – International & Natural History or Environmental

  • Nail Bomber: Manhunt (Single Documentary – Domestic & History)

  • Once Upon a Time in Iraq (History & Series)

  • Silenced: The Hidden Story of Disabled Britain (History & Presenter)

  • Tina (Single Documentary – International & Music)

  • Welcome to Chechnya: The Gay Purge (Single Documentary – International & Current Affairs)

 

One award is still open for nominations: the new Grierson Hero of the Year category. This will be presented to an individual judged by the Trustees to have made a positive impact within the industry during the previous 12 months. This person may be working in any area and be at any level of their career. The award will be given someone who has gone the extra mile and made an outstanding difference. Nominations remain open until 4th September 2021 and can be completed here:

https://griersontrust.org/about-us/news/2021/nominate-your-hero-of-the-year.html

Lorraine Heggessey sums up: “Do enter your nominations for the new Hero of the Year category. So often, the most significant challenges and roadblocks in filmmaking happen behind the scenes – especially given the year we’ve just had – and those solving these problems don’t always get the recognition they deserve. We want to change that. The Grierson Awards recognise the crème de la crème of documentary making – and that means in all areas. Our juries now face a summer of deliberation and I look forward to announcing the final nominations in the autumn.”

 

The full shortlist:

 

Envy Best Single Documentary Domestic

2020: The Story of Us

Docsville Studios — ITV

Can Sex Offenders Change?

Blakeway North — BBC iPlayer

David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet

Silverback Films & WWF Production — Netflix

Defending Digga D

Lambent Productions — BBC Three

Katie Price: Harvey and Me

Minnow Films — BBC One

Leigh-Anne Pinnock: Race, Pop & Power

Dragonfly Film & Television Production — BBC Three

Locked In: Breaking the Silence

Marble Films – BBC Four

Nail Bomber: Manhunt

Expectation — Netflix

 

Molinare Best Single Documentary – International

Boys State

Apple, A24, Concordia Studio & Mile End Films – Apple TV+

Collective: Unravelling a Scandal

Alexander Nanau Production – BBC Four

Father Soldier Son

A Netflix Original Documentary & A New York Times Production — Netflix

Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds

Apple, Sandbox Films, Dogwoof, Hot Docs, Spring Films & Werner Herzog Films – Apple TV+

My Octopus Teacher

A Netflix Original Documentary in association with Off the Fence & The Sea Change Project – Netflix

The Three Deaths of Marisela Escobedo (Las Tres Muertes de Marisela Escobed)

A Vice Studios Latin America & Scopio Production – Netflix

Tina

Lightbox – Sky Documentaries
Welcome to Chechnya: The Gay Purge

Public Square Films – BBC Four

 

Best Current Affairs Documentary   

Al Jazeera Investigations: The Cyprus Papers Undercover

Al Jazeera Media Network — Al Jazeera

Exposure: America’s War on Abortion

Fuuse Films – ITV

In Cold Blood

Darlow Smithson Productions – ITV

Inside the Battle for Jerusalem

VICE News — Vice

Return From ISIS: A Family’s Story

Mongoose – BBC iPlayer

Totally Under Control

Jigsaw Productions – BBC Two

Undercover in the Schools that Chain Boys

BBC News Arabic Documentaries – BBC Arabic

Welcome to Chechnya: The Gay Purge

Public Square Films – BBC Four

 

Storm Best Arts Documentary

African Apocalypse

Inside Out Films & Lemkino Pictures – BBC Two

Cold War Steve Meets the Outside World

CC Lab – Sky Arts

Grayson’s Art Club – Episode 4

Swan Films — Channel 4

Imagine… Lemn Sissay: The Memory of Me

BBC Studios, The Documentary Unit – BBC One

Keith Haring: Street Art Boy

BBC Studios, The Documentary Unit – BBC Two

Maggi Hambling: Making Love with the Paint

Filmwrights & Menace – BBC Two

The Painter and the Thief

Sky Arts

Pepe the Frog: Feels Good Man

Wavelength Productions — BBC Four

 

Sky Documentaries Best Music Documentary

Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell

A Netflix Original Documentary — Netflix

Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry

Apple, Interscope Films, The Darkroom, This Machine & Lighthouse Management & Media – Apple TV+

BLACKPINK: Light Up the Sky

RadicalMedia – Netflix

Defending Digga D

Lambent Productions — BBC Three

Fela Kuti: Father of Afrobeat

Plimsoll Productions – BBC Two

Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché

Tyke Films & Poly Doc Films – Sky Arts

Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm

ie productions – BBC iPlayer

Tina

Lightbox – Sky Documentaries

Best Sports Documentary

Anton Ferdinand: Football, Racism and Me

New Era Television & Wonder Television – BBC One

Athlete A

A Netflix Original Documentary in association with Impact Partners, Artemis Rising Foundation, Meadow Fund, Dobkin Family Foundation, Chicago Media Project, Grant Me the Wisdom Productions & An Actual Films Production – Netflix

Bruno v Tyson

Workerbee in association with Sky Studios – Sky Documentaries

Finding Jack Charlton

Noah Media Group – BBC Two

Gods of Snooker

Mindhouse BBC iPlayer

Pelé

Pitch Productions – Netflix

Rising Phoenix

A Netflix Original Documentary, HTYT Films & Passion Pictures in association with Misfits Entertainment & Ventureland – Netflix

Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In

DNA Films & Ventureland – Theatrical release

 

Channel 5 Best History Documentary          

Damilola: The Boy Next Door

Acme Films – Channel 4

DeLorean: Back from the Future

Fired Up Films – BBC iPlayer

Fear City: New York vs The Mafia Episode 1

A RAW & Brillstein Entertainment Partners Production — Netflix

In Cold Blood

Darlow Smithson Productions – ITV

Nail Bomber: Manhunt

Expectation – Netflix

Once Upon a Time in Iraq Episode 2

KEO Films – BBC iPlayer

Silenced: The Hidden Story of Disabled Britain

Blast! Films – BBC Two

Subnormal: A British Scandal

Rogan Productions, Lammas Park & Turbine Studios for BBC iPlayer

 

The Open University Best Science Documentary     

25 Siblings & Me

Expectation Factual – BBC Two

Connected: The Hidden Science of Everything – Episode 4

Zero Point Zero — Netflix

Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds

Apple, Sandbox Films, Dogwoof, Hot Docs, Spring Films & Werner Herzog Films – Apple TV+

The Last Artifact

Montana PBS & Montana State University – PBS International

Locked In: Breaking the Silence

Marble Films – BBC Four

Sheridan Smith: Becoming Mum

True Vision – ITV

Sudden Death: My Sister’s Silent Killer

Storyvault Films – BBC One

The Surgeon’s Cut – Episode 1

BBC Studios — Netflix

 

Discovery Best Natural History or Environmental  Documentary   

Climate Change: Ade on the Frontline – Episode 1

BBC This World – BBC iPlayer

David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet

Silverback Films & WWF Production — Netflix

Endangered

BBC Studios, Natural History Unit — Discovery+

Extinction: The Facts

BBC Studios, The Science Unit – BBC One

My Octopus Teacher

A Netflix Original Documentary in association with Off the Fence & The Sea Change Project – Netflix

Ocean Autopsy: The Secret Story of Our Seas

Pioneer Productions – BBC Four

Secret Safari: Into the Wild – Episode 1

Blast! Films — Channel 4

Tiny World: Jungle

Plimsoll Productions in association with Apple — Apple TV+

 

YouTube Originals Best Entertaining Documentary

Bank Job

Optimistic & Dartmouth Films – Theatrical release

Dick Johnson is Dead

A Netflix Original Documentary & A Big Mouth Productions Film – Netflix

The Dog House – Episode 4

Five Mile Films – Channel 4

DRYCH: Chwaer Fach Chwaer Fawr

DOGMA – S4C

The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan: Christmas – The Hebrides

Rumpus Media – BBC Two

The Mole: Infiltrating North Korea

Piraya Film I AS – BBC iPlayer

The Mystery of DB Cooper

Minnow Films – BBC Four

Undercover OAP: The Mole Agent

Micromundo Producciones, Motto Pictures, Sutor Kolonko, Volya Films & Malvalanda – BBC Four

 

Netflix Best Documentary Series      

Allen v. Farrow

HBO Documentary Films in association with Impact Partners, Chicago Media Project, Artemis Rising Foundation, Jane Doe Films & The Lozen Foundation – Sky Documentaries

Baby Surgeons: Delivering Miracles

Wonderhood — Channel 4

Becoming You

Wall to Wall Productions in association with Apple – Apple TV+

The Detectives: Fighting Organised Crime

Minnow Films — BBC iPlayer

Immigration Nation

Reel Peak Films – Netflix

Once Upon a Time in Iraq

KEO Films — BBC iPlayer

Pandemic 2020

KEO Films — BBC iPlayer

Room 2806: The Accusation

Capa Presse – Netflix

 

Channel 4 Best Constructed Documentary Series    

Born Without a Trace

Wall to Wall Media – ITV

The Choir: Singing for Britain

Twenty Twenty Productions — BBC Two

The Dog House

Five Mile Films – Channel 4

Grayson’s Art Club

Swan Films — Channel 4

The Rap Game UK

Naked – BBC Three

The Real Full Monty on Ice

Spun Gold TV – ITV

Saved by a Stranger

Blink Films – BBC Two

The School That Tried to End Racism

Proper Content — Channel 4

 

The Rumi Foundation Best Documentary Short

Dafa Metti (Difficult)

Tal Amiran – London Film Festival

Disciples

Daze – Dazed Digital

Everyman

Bombito Productions – Glasgow Film Festival

I Still Breathe

Modern Films – Sky Arts

A Love Song for Latasha

A Netflix Original Documentary – Netflix

Mother

Try Hard Films – London Film Festival

Take Your Knee Off My Neck: My First Time

Milk and Honey Productions – Channel 4

What Would Sophia Loren Do?

Artemis Rising Foundation presents A Red Light Films Production – Netflix

 

All3Media Best Student Documentary

Alt Er Nu (All is now)

National Film and Television School

Eden

University of the West of England

Is It Me?

University of the West of Scotland

The Scarecrows

Arts University Bournemouth

Short Term Sister

Goldsmiths, University of London

Tease

National Film and Television School

Tough Love

University of Westminster

You Girls Need to Grow Up

University College London

 

Best Documentary Presenter

ALISON HAMMOND for Alison Hammond: Back to School

ITV Studios, Daytime – ITV

CERRIE BURNELL for Silenced: The Hidden Story of Disabled Britain

Blast! Films — BBC Two

DAVID HAREWOOD for Why is COVID Killing People of Colour?

Twenty Twenty Productions — BBC One

DR CHRIS AND DR XAND VAN TULLEKEN for Surviving the Virus: My Brother & Me

Little Gem — BBC One

MICAH RICHARDS for Micah Richards: Tackling Racism

Buzz16 in association with New Stance — Sky Documentaries

MICHAEL PALIN for Michael Palin’s Himalaya: Journey of a Lifetime

Firecrest Films — BBC Two

ROMAN KEMP for Roman Kemp: Our Silent Emergency

Twofour — BBC Three

YINKA BOKINNI for Damilola: The Boy Next Door

Acme Films — Channel 4

 

 

Jon Creamer

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