The Grierson Trust has announced the final nominations for the 48th annual British Documentary Awards. The 2020 list includes 52 films across 14 categories with David Olusoga, Emily Maitlis, Mobeen Azhar and Stacey Dooley in the Best Documentary Presenter category.
Of the 52 nominated films, 21 were broadcast on BBC channels. For the second year running, Netflix outstrips Channel 4 with nine nominations to Channel 4’s five. ITV and Al Jazeera have two apiece whilst nominations newcomer YouTube Originals joins Channel 5, National Geographic and Discovery receiving one listing each. Festival, university and cinematic screenings make up the remaining 13.
This year, four films have the double honour of featuring in multiple categories. They are: War in the Blood features in the line-up for Best Single Domestic and Best Science categories; Crip Camp receives nominations as Best Single International and Best Historical Documentary; Jade: The Reality Star Who Changed Britain is up for Best Historical and Best Series prizes and Hometown: A Killing makes the Best Series category with Mobeen Azhar receiving a Best Presenter nomination.
Announcing the nominations, Chair of The Grierson Trust, Lorraine Heggessey says: “This has been a difficult year for the production community and particularly for freelancers, so it’s more important than ever to recognise and celebrate the excellence of so many talented film makers, whether they are newcomers or established global names. These nominations demonstrate the relevance and versatility of documentaries, with their ability to highlight a wide range of contemporary issues and bring new stories to the screens on well-established channels as well as on newer platforms.”
Meeting virtually last week, the jury panels included industry specialists and experts from across factual filmmaking, including filmmakers Louis Theroux, Gurinder Chadha, Asif Kapadia; scientist Simon Singh; historian Bettany Hughes; visual artist Zak Ove; presenter Katie Piper; former Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls; broadcaster Monty Halls; actor Thandie Newton; actor and comedian Russell Brand; and, journalists George Alagiah, Rachel Johnson, Nina Nannar, Amol Rajan, Sophie Raworth and Sian Williams, alongside commissioners, producers, editors and directors from across the documentary world.
The full list of nominations 2020 is:
ENVY Best Single Documentary – Domestic
The Family Secret
Anna Hall, Sally Ogden, Luke Rothery & Brian Woods for Candour Productions
Channel 4
Suicidal: In Our Own Words
Rachel Harvie, David DeHaney, Emmanuel Ayettey & Iain Pettifer for Proper Content
Channel 5
Tell Me Who I Am
Production team at Lightbox
Netflix
War in the Blood
Arthur Cary, Morgan Matthews, Ben Brown & Saskia Rusher for Minnow Films
BBC Two
THE OPEN UNIVERSITY Best Single Documentary – International
Crip Camp
Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht, Sara Bolder, Howard Gertler, Priya Swaminathan & Tonia Davis for A Higher Ground & Rusted Spoke Production in association with Little Punk, JustFilms & Ford Foundation
Netflix
The Day California Burned
Sarah Waldron, Fiona Stourton, Dan Edge, Ella Newton & Jane McMullen for Brook Lapping Productions & BBC Current Affairs London
BBC Two
The Great Hack
Production team at A Noujaim Films Production & an othrs Production
Netflix
Untouchable: The Rise and Fall of Harvey Weinstein
Ursula Macfarlane, Simon Chinn, Jonathan Chinn, Poppy Dixon & Andy R Worboys for Lightbox
BBC Two
REAL STORIES Best Current Affairs Documentary
Al Jazeera Investigations: Diplomats for Sale
Production team at Al Jazeera Media Network
Al Jazeera
Sex for Grades
Kiki Mordi, Kemi Alabi, Chiara Francavilla, Charlie Northcott, Andy Bell & Marc Perkins for BBC World Service
BBC Africa
Undercover with the Clerics
Paddy Wells, Mais Al-Bayaa, Nawal Al Maghafi, Monica Garnsey & Chris Mitchell for BBC News Arabic
BBC News Arabic
Undercover: Inside China’s Digital Gulag
Robin Barnwell, Gesbeen Mohammad, Guy Creasey, David Henshaw & Simon Russell for Hardcash Productions
ITV
STORM Best Arts or Music Documentary
The Black Godfather
Reginald Hudlin, Nicole Avant, Byron Phillips, Nelson George, Catrin Rodgers & Andrew Fried for Boardwalk Pictures & Hudlin Entertainment
Netflix
Imagine… Edna O’Brien: Fearful and Fearless
Katy Homan, Tanya Hudson, Jude Suggett & Alan Yentob for BBC Studios
BBC One
Show Me the Picture: The Story of Jim Marshall
Alfred George Bailey, Adam Biskupski, Ian Arber, Tatiana Kennedy, Arno Hazebroek & Nicolas Sampson for Bailey Kennedy Production
General theatrical release
Terms and Conditions: A UK Drill Story
Brian Hill, Kandise Abiola, Katie Bailiff, Fraser T Smith & Stuart Briggs for Century Films
YouTube Originals
CHANNEL 5 Best Historical Documentary
Apollo 11
Todd Douglas Miller, Thomas Petersen, Evan Krauss & Stephen Slater for Statement Pictures
General theatrical release
Crip Camp
Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht, Sara Bolder, Howard Gertler, Priya Swaminathan & Tonia Davis for A Higher Ground & Rusted Spoke Production in association with Little Punk, JustFilms & Ford Foundation
Netflix
A House Through Time – Episode 1
Eleanor Scoones, Katie Greening, Justin Badger, Mary Crisp & Maxine Watson for Twenty Twenty Productions
BBC Two
Jade: The Reality Star Who Changed Britain – Episode 1
Robert Coldstream, Clare Cameron, Justin Badger, Jane Greaves & Edmund Coulthard for Blast! Films
Channel 4
SARGENT-DISC Best Science Documentary
The Big Picture – The World According to AI: The Bias in the Machine
Sanjiev Johal, Cori Crider, Nicholas Muirhead, Ryan Kohls, Sean Griffin & Denise Lister for Al Jazeera English
Al Jazeera
Einstein’s Quantum Riddle
Jamie Lochhead, David Dugan, Clementine Cheetham & Alastair Auld for Windfall Films
BBC Four
Mad Cow Disease: The Great British Beef Scandal
Will Lorimer, James Gold, Liesel Evans & Pamela McIntyre for RAW
BBC Two
War in the Blood
Arthur Cary, Morgan Matthews, Ben Brown, Saskia Rusher & Andrew Phillips for Minnow Films
BBC Two
DISCOVERY Best Natural History Documentary
The Last Igloo
Christian Collerton, Will Grayburn, Joe Evans, Neil Crombie, Adam Simons & Mick Duffield for Swan Films
BBC Four
Seven Worlds, One Planet: Antarctica
Jonny Keeling, Fredi Devas, Dave Pearce, Abigail Lees, Michael Becker & Scott Alexander for BBC Studios Natural History Unit
BBC One
The Story of Plastic
Deia Schlosberg, Kyle Cadotte, Megan Ponder, Stiv Wilson, Tony Hale & Brian Wilson for The Story of Stuff Project in association with React to Film
Discovery
Tigers: Hunting the Traffickers
Laura Warner, Jo Prichard, Guy Creasey, Monica Garnsey, Anna Murphy & Orlando Von Einsiedel for Grain Media
BBC Two
YOUTUBE ORIGINALS Best Entertaining Documentary
The Dog House – Episode 3
Nick Mirsky, Anna Llewellyn, Morgana Pugh, Claire Parry, Katie Brimblecombe & Tom Bowman for Five Mile Films
Channel 4
Love is Blind – Episode 3
Production team at Kinetic Content
Netflix
The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan: Zimbabwe
Romesh Ranganathan, Emily Hudd, Morgan Roberts, Chris Cottam & Andy Linton for Rumpus Media
BBC Two
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness – Episode 2
Rebecca Chaiklin, Eric Goode, Chris Smith, Doug Abel, Dylan Hansen-Fliedner & Nicholas Biagetti for Goode Films Production in association with Library Films & Article 19 Films
Netflix
NETFLIX Best Documentary Series
The Devil Next Door
Production team at One Man Show & Submarine Deluxe Production in association with Yes Studios
Netflix
Don’t F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer
Mark Lewis, Felicity Morris, Dimitri Doganis, Adam Hawkins, Michael Harte & Bjorn Johnson for RAW
Netflix
Hometown: A Killing
Jeremy Lee, Wes Thomas & Catey Sexton for Forest & 7 Wonder
BBC Three
Jade: The Reality Star Who Changed Britain
Robert Coldstream, Clare Cameron, Justin Badger, Jane Greaves & Edmund Coulthard for Blast! Films
Channel 4
CHANNEL 4 Best Constructed Documentary Series
Long Lost Family
Sally Benton, Clare Bradbury, Susie Attwood, Rick Barker & Johnny Wagener for Wall to Wall Media
ITV
The Rap Game
Tom O’Brien, Simon Andreae, Tom Whitrow, Lianne Hickey & Susie Dark for Naked
BBC Three
The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes
Benjamin Leigh, Trish Powell, Murray Boland, Martin Oxley, Louise Bartmann & Neil Cornish/ Dan Gulley for CPL Productions & Motion Content Group
Channel 4
Who Are You Calling Fat?
Sara Ramsden, Charlotte Armstrong, Oliver Manley & Nicholas Packer for Love Productions
BBC Two
BFI DOC SOCIETY FUND Best Cinema Documentary
American Factory
Production team at Higher Ground Productions & Participant Media for Netflix
General theatrical release
For Sama
Waad al Kateab, Ed Watts, Nevine Mabro, Ben de Pear, Siobhan Sinnerton & George Waldrum for Channel 4 News & ITN Productions for Channel 4 & PBS Frontline
General theatrical release
Honeyland
Tamara Kotevska, Ljubomir Stefanov & Atanas Georgiev
General theatrical release
Midnight Family
Luke Lorentzen & Kellen Quinn
General theatrical release
THE RUMI FOUNDATION Best Documentary Short
Country Girl
Ellen Evans, Pearl Doughty-White & Lisa Marie-Russo –
Open City Docs Film Festival
Lost & Found
Orlando von Einsiedel & Harri Grace for National Geographic Documentary Films Presents in association with The Nobel Prize, a Rideback & Grain Media Production
National Geographic
That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore
Hannah Currie & Beth Allan for Forest of Black & SDI – Bridging the Gap
Edinburgh International Film Festival
Witness: The Mortician of Manila
Leah Borromeo, Laura Shacham, Katharine Round, James Scott, Joshua Reyles & Jamie Perera for Disobedient Films & Al Jazeera Witness
Sheffield Doc/Fest
ALL3MEDIA Best Student Documentary
Bananas
Sara Montoya Sepulveda, Mel Barnes, Rachel Roberts, Ethan Jeffrey, Breen Turner & Marco Valerio Caminiti for NFTS
University/College screening
Bringing Home the Blubber
Molly Adams for London College of Communication
University/College screening
Inside a Marriage
Ben Cheetham & Margred Pryce for NFTS
University/College screening
Miss Curvy
Ghada Eldemellawy & Gareth Pugh for NFTS
University/College screening
WARNER BROS TELEVISION PRODUCTION Best Documentary Presenter
DAVID OLUSOGA for The Unwanted: The Secret Windrush Files
Uplands Television
BBC Two
EMILY MAITLIS for Prince Andrew & the Epstein Scandal: The Newsnight Interview
BBC Newsnight
BBC Two
MOBEEN AZHAR for Hometown: A Killing
Forest & 7 Wonder
BBC Three
STACEY DOOLEY for Stacey Dooley: On the Psych Ward
True Vision
BBC Three
Jon Creamer
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