The Grierson Trust has announced the nominations for the 2021 British Documentary Awards, which see Sir David Attenborough and Katie Price nominated in the Best Single Documentary – Domestic category, for Silverback Films’ A life on our planet and Minnow Films’ Harvey and me.
The BBC has 23 nominations, dominating this year’s awards, which are organized in association with All3Media and digital partners Little Dot Studios.
Netflix, with 10 nominations, leads Channel 4 with seven. Sky has three, ITV two, and Apple TV +, PBS, HBO and S4C each. The rest is made up of festival and university screenings as well as theatrical releases.
Lorraine Heggessey, President of the Grierson Trust, said: “This highlights the importance and popularity of the documentary genre both for long-standing channels and for new providers like streamers. “
Films on racism and climate change are well represented, with Anton Ferdinand: Football, racism and me take your knee off: my first time and The school that tried to end racism shine the spotlight on racism and Sir David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet and Climate change: Ade on the front line explore the impact of climate change.
Newly created sport category sees nominations for Anton Ferdinand: Football, Racism and Me, Athlete A, In Search of Jack Charlton and Gods of the Snooker.
Meanwhile, in the new music category, the film from Generation X icon Billy Eilish The world is a little blurry competes for honors alongside films about rappers The Notorious BIG asd Digga D and the late punk icon Poly Styrene.
The 56 shortlisted films and five presenters will now be judged ahead of the 49th annual awards ceremony on November 10.
In addition to the 15 categories, there will also be a new special award – the Grierson Hero of the Year Award – presented to someone nominated by their industry peers and judged by directors to have had a positive impact within industry over the past 12 months.
The full 2021 list:
Envy Best Single Documentary – Domestic
David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet
Jonnie Hughes, Alastair Fothergill, Keith Scholey and Colin Butfield
Silverback Films & WWF Production – Netflix
Defend Digga D
Marian Mohamed, Samuel R. Santana and Emma Wakefield
Lambent Productions – BBC Three
Katie Price: Harvey and I
Hannah Lowes, Cath Boggan, Sophie Leonard & Tom Dixon-Spain
Minnow Films – BBC One
Locked up: breaking the silence
Xavier Alford, Colette Hodges, Sacha Mirzoeff, Poppy Goodheart, Iris Maor & Jane Zurakowski
Marble Films – BBC Four
Molinare Best Unique Documentary – International
Collective: Unraveling a scandal
Alexander Nanau, Bianca Oana, Bernard Michaux, Hanka Kastelicova & Antoaneta Opriș
Alexander Nanau Production – BBC Four
Father Soldier Son
Production team
An original Netflix documentary and a New York Times production – Netflix
The three deaths of Marisela Escobedo (Las Tres Muertes de Marisela Escobedo)
Axel Padraza, Ricardo Pory, Sara Rafsky, Ivonne Gutirrez, Laura Woldnberg & Carlos Pérez Osorio
A Vice Studios Latin America & Scopio Production – Netflix
Welcome to Chechnya: the gay purge
David France, Alice Henty, Joy A. Tomchin, Askold Kurov, Tyler H. Walk & Igor Myakotin
Movies in the Public Square – BBC Four
Best News Documentary
In cold blood
Marcus Plowright, Celia Watson, Diene Petterle, Nina Davies, Leigh Brzeski & Alex Parsons
Darlow Smithson Productions – ITV
Return of ISIS: a family story
Joshua Baker, Karen Wightman, Raney Aronson-Rath, Dan Edge, Leo Telling and Nuvine Ibrahim
Mongoose & BBC Panorama – BBC One
Undercover in schools that chain boys
Fath Al-Rahman Al-Hamdani, Jessica Kelly, Mamdouh Akbiek, Bettina Waked, Simon Cox & Mustafa Khalili
BBC News Arabic Documentaries – BBC Arabic
Welcome to Chechnya: the gay purge
David France, Alice Henty, Joy A. Tomchin, Askold Kurov, Tyler H. Walk & Igor Myakotin
Movies in the Public Square – BBC Four
Storm Best Documentary on the Arts
African Apocalypse
Rob Lemkin, Femi Nylander, Geoff Arbourne, David Upshal, Matt McConaghy and David Charap
Inside Out Films & Lemkino Pictures – BBC Two
Imagine… Lemn Sissay: The memory of me
John O’Rourke, Tanya Hudson, Alan Yentob and Kirsty Breetzke
BBC Studios, The Documentary Unit – BBC One
Keith Haring: Street Art Boy
Ben Anthony, Janet Lee, Alice Rhodes and Paul Van Dyck
BBC Studios, The Documentary Unit – BBC Two
The painter and the thief
Benjamin Ree and Ingvil Giske
Sky arts
Sky Documentaries Best Musical Documentary
Biggie: I have a story to tell
Production team
An original Netflix documentary – Netflix
Billie Eilish: The world is a bit hazy
RJ Cutler, Trevor Smith, Michelle An, Chelsea Dodson and Anthony Seyler
Apple, Interscope Films, The Darkroom, This Machine & Lighthouse Management & Media – Apple TV +
Defend Digga D
Marian Mohamed, Samuel R. Santana and Emma Wakefield
Lambent Productions – BBC Three
Poly styrene: I’m a cliché
Rebecca Mark-Lawson, Daria Nitsche, Celeste Bell, Paul Sng, Zoe Howe and Xanna Ward Dixon
A Sky Original Documentary in association with Tyke Films & Poly Doc Films – Sky Arts
Best Sports Documentary
Anton Ferdinand: Football, racism and me
Sian Guerra, Agata Krasicka, Jeremy Lee, Wendie Ottewill, James Ross and Wesley Thomas
New Era Television & Wonder Television – BBC One
Athlete A
Bonni Cohen, Jon Shenk, Serin Marshall, Jennifer Sey, Julie Parker Benello and Don Bernier
An original Netflix 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
Find Jack Charlton
Gabriel Clarke and Pete Thomas
Noah Media Group in association with BBC & Virgin Media Television – BBC Two
Gods of Snooker – Episode 1
Production team
Mindhouse – BBC Two
Channel 5 Best Historical Documentary
Damilola: The boy next door
Yinka Bokinni, Nelson Adeosun, Evie Buckley, Jonathan Smith, Jaimie D’Cruz & Ashley Francis-Roy
Acme Films – Channel 4
DeLorean: Return of the Future
Jon-Barrie Waddell, Jonathan Smith, Mike Connolly, Sian McIlwaine and Jake Martin
A Fired Up Films production for the BBC in association with Netflix, Pennebaker Hegedus Films, Northern Ireland Screen & eOne – BBC Two
Once Upon a Time in Iraq – Episode 2
James Bluemel, Jo Abel, Miriam Walsh, Simon Sykes, Will Anderson and Andrew Palmer
KEO Films – BBC Two
Silenced: The Hidden History of Disabled Britain
Kate Scholefield, Caroline Sciama, Diane Bernhardt, Alistair Pegg, Cerrie Burnell and Regie Gardener
Destroy! Movies – BBC Two
The best scientific documentary of the Open University
The last artifact
Ed Watkins, Jaime Jacobsen, Stefanie Watkins, Ben King, Rick Smith and Aaron Pruitt
Montana PBS and Montana State University – PBS International
Locked up: breaking the silence
Xavier Alford, Colette Hodges, Sacha Mirzoeff, Poppy Goodheart, Iris Maor & Jane Zurakowski
Marble Films – BBC Four
Sudden Death: My Sister’s Silent Killer
Samantha Richards, Stuart Prebble, Danielle Graham, Aodh Breathnach, James Gold and Lindsay Konieczny
Storyvault Films – BBC One
The Surgeon’s Cut – Episode 1
Production team
BBC Studios – Netflix
Discovery Best documentary of natural or environmental history
Climate Change: Ade on the Front Line – Episode 1
Olly Bootle, Mike Radford, Chris Brainwood, Rowan Ings, Seamas McCracken and Phil Kingwell
BBC TV News – BBC Two
David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet
Jonnie Hughes, Alastair Fothergill, Keith Scholey and Colin Butfield
Silverback Films & WWF Production – Netflix
Extinction: the facts
Serena Davies, Helen Thomas, Stephen Moore, Charlotte Lathane and Sir David Attenborough
BBC Studios, The Science Unit – BBC One
My octopus teacher
Pippa Ehrlich, Ellen Windemuth, Swati Thiyagarajan, Craig Foster, James Reed and Sam Barton-Humphries
An original Netflix documentary in association with Off the Fence & The Sea Change Project – Netflix
YouTube Originals Best Entertaining Documentary
Banking job
Daniel Edelstyn, Hilary Powell, Christopher Hird, Alice Powell and Lisa Marie Russo
Optimistic & Dartmouth Films – Theatrical Release
DRYCH: Chwaer Fach Chwaer Fawr
Nia Dryhurst, Gethin Scourfield, Stephen Kingston, Emyr Llewelyn Jones and Lindsay Walker
DOGME – S4C
The mole: infiltrating North Korea
Mads Brügger, Bjarte Mørner Tveit & Peter Engel
Piraya Film I AS – BBC Four
Undercover OAP: The Mole Agent
Maite Alberdi, Marcela Santibañez, Julie Goldman, Chris Clements, Carolina Siraqyan & Pablo Valdés
Micromundo Producciones, Motto Pictures, Sutor Kolonko, Volya Films & Malvalanda – BBC Four
Best Netflix Documentary Series
Allen vs. Farrow
Amy Ziering, Kirby Dick, Amy Herdy, Jamie Rogers, Dan Cogan & Tara Lynda Guber
HBO Documentary Films presents in association with Impact Partners and Chicago Media Project, A Jane Doe Films Production – Sky Documentaries
Baby surgeons: working miracles
Katharine Patrick, Samantha Anstiss, Joy Ash, Adam Robinson and Simon Mason
Wonderhood – Channel 4
Country of immigration
Christina Clusiau, Shaul Schwarz, Álvaro Guzmán Bastida, Jay Arthur Sterrenberg & Andrey Alistratov
Reel Peak Films – Netflix
Once upon a time in Iraq
James Bluemel, Jo Abel, Miriam Walsh, Simon Sykes, Will Anderson and Andrew Palmer
KEO Films – BBC Two
Channel 4 Best Built Documentary Series
The choir: singing for Great Britain
Production team
Twenty Twenty Productions – BBC Two
Dog house
Anna Llewellyn, Nick Mirsky, Victoria Bell, Claire Parry, Catherine Miller and Tom Parr
Five Mile Films – Channel 4
Grayson Art Club
Production team
Swan Films – Channel 4
The school that tried to end racism
Production team
Appropriate content – Channel 4
The Rumi Foundation Best Documentary Short
Disciples
Jess Kohl, Bec Evans, Sherlene Ding, Adric Watson, Andrew Cross and Hadi Azmir
Digital dizzy
A love song for Latasha
Sophia Nahli Allison, Fam Udeorji & Janice Duncan
An original Netflix documentary – Netflix
Mother
Kate Stonehill, Jas Pitt, Sorcha Bacon and Lua Guerreiro
Try the Hard Movies – London Film Festival
Get your knee off my neck: my first time
Liana Stewart, Lucy Pilkington, Shianne Brown and Dan Jarman
Milk and honey production – Channel 4
All3Media Best Student Documentary
Scarecrows
Dan Hodgson, Julia Alcamo, Hiromi Tanoue, Mariana Torii, Chiara Armentano & Rebeca Alvaro
Bournemouth University of the Arts
To tease
Jessica Brady, Danielle Goff, Lesley Posso, Henry Sims, Alastair Mcnamara and Fabiana Tesauro
National School of Cinema and Television
Hard love
Billy Morley, Deen Hussein, Sorin Baluta, Linus Sandelands, Felicia Stalhammar & Filip Arnqvist Eiritz
University of Westminster
Your daughters need to grow up
Sohee kim
University College London
Best Documentary Presenter
Alison Hammond for Alison Hammond: Back to School
ITV Studios, Day – ITV
DR CHRIS AND DR XAND VAN TULLEKEN for Surviving the virus: My brother and I
Little Gem – BBC One
ROMAN KEMP for Roman Kemp: our silent emergency
Twofour – BBC Three
YINKA BOKINNI for Damilola: The boy next door
Acme Films – Channel 4
Jon Cremier
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