‘Spacey Unmasked’ Lands Grierson Nom In New Popular Culture Category

Max Goldbart
·26-min read

Spacey Unmasked, the Channel 4-Max documentary series detailing new allegations against the double-Oscar winner, has been nominated at the prestigious UK Grierson Awards, as the shortlist in each category is whittled down from eight docs to four.

Spacey Unmasked is nominated in the new Best Popular Culture Documentary category, which depicts people, events, movements or trends that have had a major impact on popular culture in recent years. The series is up against Arena – Being Kae Tempest, Big Zuu Goes to Mecca and Milli Vanilli, the latter of which is also nominated in the Best Music Documentary category.

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From Mike Lerner and Dorothy Byrne, Spacey Unmasked detailed sexual misconduct allegations by 10 men against Spacey, which he denies, coming around a year after he was acquitted of sex crimes in a UK trial.

Meanwhile, Netflix’s American Nightmare, which came seventh in the streamer’s most-watched shows of the first half of 2024, is up against Channel 4 double Evacuation and The Push: Murder on the Cliff, along with Sky’s Lockerbie, in the coveted Best Documentary Series category.

Netflix is well represented at the Griersons, with 11, putting it third behind the BBC with 16 and Channel 4 with 12.

Other high-profile projects in the running include two nods for Oscar-winner 20 Days in Mariupol, for Best Cinema Documentary and Best Current Affairs Documentary. Prime VIdeo’s Ronnie O’Sullivan: The Edge of Everything is up against Netflix/A24’s The Deepest Breath in the competitive Best Sports Documentary category.

Lorraine Heggessey, Chair of The Grierson Trust, said the nominees “reflect the incredible depth of talent in documentary filmmaking, and especially the new, diverse voices on and off-screen breaking through to tell stories from different perspectives.”

The awards take place in London on November 6.

The full list of noms

ENVY Best Single Documentary – Domestic

Accused: The Hampstead Paedophile Hoax

Story Films, All3Media International – Channel 4 Emily Turner, Simon McMahon, Tomasz Frymorgen, Lorenzo Levrini, Peter Beard, Adam Hopkins In February 2015, two children appeared to accuse parents and teachers at their North London primary school of leading a baby-eating satanic paedophile cult. Their claims had been made under duress and were not

true – but when videos of their testimony went online, conspiracy theorists believed it. With exclusive access to the accused mothers at the centre of this shocking story, Emily Turner’s film explores the real-world impact of an outrageous online conspiracy theory.

Ellie Simmonds: Finding My Secret Family

Flicker Productions – ITV

Jasleen Kaur Sethi, Colleen Flynn, Lucy Wilcox, David Thompson, Nick Underhill, Kathryn Jein

Just ten days after she was born, gold-medal winning Paralympian Ellie Simmonds was placed for adoption. Was this decision influenced by her dwarfism? At a new stage in her life, Ellie wants to reach out and find her birth mother in a bid to understand why children from diverse backgrounds are more likely to be placed for adoption.

Me and the Voice in My Head

Hungry Bear Media Ltd – Channel 4

Joe Tracini, Tom Green, Tommy Forbes, Dan Baldwin, Garry Crystal, Georgie Bayford

In this brave and uncompromisingly honest documentary, comedian Joe Tracini explores the root cause of his borderline personality disorder, which has left him suicidal. Delving into his traumatic childhood, he hopes to get a grip on his condition and revive his comedy career. From Joe’s unique perspective, this film explains and visualises the voice inside his head in a truly funny and original way – bringing to life an invisible condition that is largely unexplained.

Otto Baxter: Not a F***ing Horror Story

Story Films, Archface Films – Sky Documentaries

Daisy Allsop, Peter Beard, Bruce Fletcher, Evie Sangale, Rupert Houseman, Otto Baxter

Otto Baxter: Not a F***ing Horror Story follows Otto Baxter, a 35-year- old man with Down Syndrome, over six years, as he writes and directs a

foul-mouthed, autobiographical comedy-horror-musical set in Victorian London.

Best Single Documentary – International

My Name is Happy

October Films, Red Zed Films, Horovel Films – Channel 4

Nick Read, Ayse Toprak, Adam Bullmore, Mahmut Kaya, Meryem Yavuz, Anna Price

My Name is Happy is the inspirational redemption story of teenage Kurdish singer Mutlu Kaya, for whom stardom beckons when she reaches the finals of Turkey’s Got Talent. Days later she is shot by a man trying to abduct her. Miraculously, Mutlu survives, but with life-changing injuries and a bullet in her brain. As she battles to heal her haunting voice, the shocking femicide of her sister compounds her tragedy. Undaunted and unbreakable, Mutlu intensifies her fight for women’s rights in Turkey. Mutlu means ‘happy’ in Turkish.

To Kill a Tiger

Notice Pictures Inc. and The National Film Board of Canada – Netflix
Nisha Pahuja, Cornelia Principe, David Oppenheim, Mrinal Desai, Mike Munn, Dave Kazala

When his teen daughter survives a harrowing crime, a humble farmer embarks on a remarkable pursuit of justice, defying deep intolerance in their village.

Storyville – Total Trust Surveillance State

Film Tank, Witfilm and Interactive Media Foundation, B8, ZDF, Arte, NTR – BBC
Jialing Zhang, Knut Jäger, Michael Grotenhoff, Saskia Kress

A look at state surveillance and digital social control in China through the experiences of two families and a journalist. While Zijuan Chen is fighting for the release of her husband, the journalist Sophie Xueqin Huang is at constant risk of arrest.

Ukraine: Enemy in the Woods

HOYO Films, distributed by All3Media International – BBC

Claire Walker, Maryna Kotsyubenko, Stanislav Strilets, Kate Spankie, Jonathan Smith, David Schweitzer

A single Ukrainian infantry company find themselves in a life-or-death battle to defend the eastern front against intense Russian attacks. This is an extraordinary portrait of lives compromised by the turmoil of a bloody war, filmed by Ukrainian soldiers.

Televisual Best Current Affairs Documentary

20 Days in Mariupol
FRONTLINE, PBS and The Associated Press – Theatrical release Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson-Rath, Derl McCrudden, Vasilisa Stepanenko

An AP team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol struggle to continue their work documenting atrocities of the Russian invasion. As the only international reporters who remain in the city, they capture what later become defining images of the war: dying children, mass graves, the bombing of a maternity hospital, and more.

Bobi Wine: The People’s President

Southern Films, Ventureland, National Geographic Documentary Films – National Geographic
Christopher Sharp, Moses Bwayo, John Battsek, Paul Carlin, Dan Jones

In Uganda’s 2021 presidential election, music star, activist and opposition leader Bobi Wine, together with his wife Barbie, rallies his people in a

dangerous fight for freedom from President Museveni’s oppressive 35- year regime.

Evacuation – We Just Left Them

Wonderhood Studios – Channel 4

Production team

Evacuation is a three-part documentary military thriller that tells the inside story of the perilous British campaign to evacuate Kabul. In this episode, British troops deal with the aftermath of a deadly explosion and stop processing civilians as they begin to extract their own forces, bringing the 20-year war to a tragic and unsatisfying end.

You Are Not Alone: Fighting the Wolf Pack

Lucernam Films – Netflix

Almudena Carracedo, Robert Bahar, Katie Bryer, Samuel R. Santana, Almudena Sánchez

This documentary is an incisive deconstruction of the sexual assault suffered by a young woman in 2016 at Spain’s iconic “running of the bulls” (Sanfermines). From the filmmakers of the award-winning The Silence of Others, and through the words of two victim survivors and never-before-heard testimonies, the documentary sheds light on the case that led to Spain’s first #MeToo reckoning and resonated across Latin America.

Best Arts Documentary

Arena – Coco Chanel Unbuttoned

whynow Studios – BBC

Hannah Berryman, Janet Lee

The definitive portrait of Coco Chanel: the original influencer whose iconic designs – the little black dress, the tweed suit and Chanel No 5 Perfume – remain symbols of style, sexuality and power in the 21st Century. She

gave women freedom, and, in a male-dominated world, they rewarded her with adoration, wealth and celebrity. But Coco remained an enigma, until now.

Donyale Luna: Supermodel

Lightbox, Jeff Friday Media, The American Black Film Festival – Sky Documentaries
Nailah Jefferson, Melissa Kramer, Melanie Sharee, Isoul Harris, Jonathan Chinn, Simon Chinn

This feature documentary explores the life and career of Donyale Luna, one of the first Black supermodels. Today, most people have never heard of her. Born Peggy Anne Freeman in Detroit, Donyale Luna went on to revolutionize the fashion industry as the world’s first Black supermodel during the 1960s and 1970s. During her modelling career, she became the muse of some of the foremost photographers of the 20th century until her untimely death in 1979.

Shakespeare: Rise of a Genius – Episode 1

72 Films – BBC

David Glover, Julian Jones, Ella Gutteridge, Lisa Martinson, Alice Boorman, Luke Boneham

For the 400th anniversary of the publication of William Shakespeare’s First Folio, this three-part docu-drama series tells the incredible story of how a glover’s son from rural Stratford became the greatest writer who ever lived.

Yellow Door: ’90s Lo-fi Film Club

Broccoli Pictures Co. Ltd – Netflix

Kim Hyung-oak, Lee Hyuk-rae

Documentary film that revisits the era of avid film lovers who became the first generation of Korean cinephiles by tracking the memories of Yellow Door Film Club members, who also recall their impressions of Director Bong Joon Ho’s first short film.

Sky Documentaries Best Music Documentary

Louis Theroux Interviews – Pete Doherty

Mindhouse Productions – BBC

Production team

Louis Theroux meets controversial rockstar Pete Doherty, spending time with him at his home in Normandy and on-the-road with his notorious band, The Libertines. Infamous for his tumultuous relationship with drugs as well as a high-profile relationship with Kate Moss, Doherty has been a figure both celebrated and scorned in the British media. In a candid encounter, Louis joins Doherty at a transformative juncture in his life. Having turned his back on crack and heroin, Pete is embracing a new chapter, immersing himself in a quieter life in a small French coastal town.

Milli Vanilli

Keep On Running Pictures, Fulwell 73, MRC – Paramount+

Luke Korem, Bradley Jackson, Jon Michael Simpson, Hanif Abdurraqib, Kim Marlowe, Patrick Berry

From their meteoric rise to public downfall, this captivating documentary chronicles the untold circumstances surrounding the infamous pop duo Milli Vanilli and their 1990s era lip-syncing scandal.

The Greatest Night in Pop

A Netflix Documentary, MRC Film, Dorothy St Pictures Production in association with Makemake Entertainment – Netflix
Production team

On January 28, 1985, dozens of the biggest names in music convened at a studio in Los Angeles, checked their egos at the door and recorded a song to benefit African famine relief that would alter global pop culture history.

Wham!

A Netflix Documentary, Ventureland, Passion Pictures, Library Films, Nemperor Production – Netflix
Chris Smith, John Battsek, Simon Halfon, Gregor Lyon, Alex Black

In 1982, teenagers George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley set out to conquer the world as WHAM! By June of 1986 they played their very last gig at Wembley Stadium having done exactly that. Now for the very first time, told in their own words, the amazing story of how in four years they dominated the charts around the world with timeless and classic pop songs.

Broadcast Sport Best Sports Documentary

Hatton

Noah Media Group – Sky Documentaries

Paul Yoshida, John McKenna, Ian Davies, Dan Dewsbury, Sam Bergson, Emma Mason-Perrill

Hatton is the definitive portrait of a unique, working-class hero, one of the world’s greatest fighters and most beloved boxers – Ricky ‘The Hitman’ Hatton. Raw and authentic, Hatton is a cautionary tale that stretches far beyond the boxing ring; a rollercoaster of success and excess, regret, and redemption, told by Ricky and those closest to him for the first time.

Mighty Penguins

Meadowlark, Firelight, Fever – Theatrical release

Louis Myles, Ahmed Twaij, Smriti Keshari, John Skipper, David Kempshall, Kirin Alvi

Mighty Penguins follows the lives of a small community club for people with Downs Syndrome, the Brentford Penguins, as they embark on their mission to be guard of honour for the Brentford FC first team in a premier league game against Leicester.

Ronnie O’Sullivan: The Edge of Everything

Studio 99 – Prime Video

Sam Blair, James Davidson, David Beckham, Ross Connolly, David Gardner, Nicola Howson

In 2021, Ronnie O’Sullivan decided to allow total access to his life, opening the doors to his personal life and a remarkable cast of characters as he considered life beyond snooker. Facing the end of a wildly successful but turbulent career, the snooker legend found himself on the verge of a career-defining tournament to win the snooker World Championship for a seventh time.

The Deepest Breath

An A24, Motive Films and Ventureland Production – Netflix

Laura McGann, John Battsek, Jamie D’Alton, Sarah Thomson, Anne McLoughlin, Julian Hart

A champion freediver and expert safety diver seemed destined for one another despite the different paths they took to meet at the pinnacle of the freediving world. A look at the thrilling rewards – and inescapable risks – of chasing dreams through the depths of the ocean.

Best History Documentary

Defiance: Fighting the Far Right – Episode 1

Rogan Productions and GroupM Motion Entertainment in association with Left Handed Films – Channel 4 Production team

Defiance examines how Britain’s Asian community was targeted with a campaign of violence and murder between 1976 and 1981, as National Front activity became increasingly prominent. Exploring seminal events such as the 1979 Southall protests and the Bradford 12 through a cache of archive footage and compelling new testimony from key figures on the

front line at the time, the ground-breaking documentary series shows what happened when the British Asian community decided to fight back.

Miners’ Strike: A Frontline Story

The Garden – BBC

Ben Anthony, Zac Beattie, Anna Price, Janine Melton, Lucie Duxbury, Guy Meachin

The story of 15 men and women and one life changing year, on the frontline of the most divisive conflict of a generation. In deeply personal testimony, striking and working miners, their families and police – many speaking for the first time, often with extraordinary candour – tell the epic story of this conflict at eye level. It divided communities, families and the country. Forty years on, the feelings are still just as raw.

Stamped from the Beginning

A Netflix Documentary, One Story Up Production – Netflix

Roger Ross Williams, David Teague, Alisa Payne, John Fisher, Francesca Sharper, Dr. Ibram X. Kendi

Using innovative animation and expert insights, this documentary based on Ibram X. Kendi’s bestseller explores the history of racist ideas in America.

The Space Shuttle That Fell to Earth – Episode 1

Mindhouse Productions – BBC

Production team

This three-part series combines first-hand testimony alongside previously unseen archive footage to chart the in-depth story of the Columbia space shuttle tragedy. Those people who lived through it all – the astronauts’ wives, husbands and children and the staff at NASA, some of whom have never spoken before – reveal in unprecedented detail how and why the disaster happened. At the heart of this story are the seven astronauts. Extensive self-shot video footage taken during preparation for the 16-day mission and filmed whilst the astronauts are in space – including tape

miraculously rescued from the shuttle debris – bring to life an era that seemed to herald a routine human presence in space.

Best Science Documentary

Better Off Dead?

Burning Bright Productions, The Open University – BBC

Liz Carr, Clive Tulloh, Nina Davies, James Routh, Georgina Nicholson

Better Off Dead? is a documentary on assisted suicide, authored by actor and disability rights activist Liz Carr. Liz visits Canada where the law extends beyond the terminally ill, including disabled people, and those offered a medically assisted death as a “way out” of social deprivation. In a society where disabled people are often told they’re “better off dead,” Liz asks: should we really be giving more power to end that group of people’s lives?

Evolution Earth – Islands

Produced by Passion Planet in association with PBS and Arte France for Love Nature – Sky Nature
Production Team

At the front lines of climate change, animals have a surprising story to tell. Traveling to the far corners of the world, we discover the extraordinary ways animals are adapting to our rapidly changing planet. We witness nature’s remarkable resilience, as our perception of evolution and its potential is forever transformed.

Me and the Voice in My Head
Hungry Bear Media Ltd – Channel 4
Joe Tracini, Tom Green, Tommy Forbes, Dan Baldwin, Garry Crystal, Georgie Bayford

In this brave and uncompromisingly honest documentary, comedian Joe Tracini explores the root cause of his borderline personality disorder,

which has left him suicidal. Delving into his traumatic childhood, he hopes to get a grip on his condition and revive his comedy career. From Joe’s unique perspective, this film explains and visualises the voice inside his head in a truly funny and original way – bringing to life an invisible condition that is largely unexplained.

The Jennings vs Alzheimer’s

Expectation Entertainment – BBC

Niamh Kennedy, Colin Barr, Arthur Cary, Rick Barker, Emma Lysaght, Jess Austin

When a mutant gene causing Alzheimer’s is discovered in the Jennings family, it leads scientists on a journey to develop a cure and leaves family members with a terrible dilemma.

Best Natural History or Environmental Documentary

Living with Leopards

A Netflix Documentary, Wild Space Production in association with Natural History Film Unit Botswana and Freeborne Media – Netflix Production team

An incredible coming-of-age tale of a pair of leopard cubs born into one of the most dramatic landscapes on earth.

Planet Earth III – Heroes

BBC Studios Natural History Unit, co-produced by BBC America, ZDF, FTV and The Open University – BBC
Michael Gunton, Matt Brandon, Jonny Keeling, Steve Greenwood, Abigail Brown, Estelle Cheuk

Sir David Attenborough tells the stories of six environmental heroes around the world who are doing incredible work to try and halt the global

biodiversity and climate crisis. Stories range from going undercover to catch criminals in the ivory trade to indigenous Community leaders in the Amazon protesting new laws destroying their rainforest. The powerful and positive conclusion shows the vital importance of the ballot box in saving the environment.

Silverback

An Off the Fence Production for BBC in co production with France Télévisions in association with Featuristic Films – BBC
Miles Blayden-Ryall, Andrew Zikking, Guy Gilbert, Sam Dawe, Tanwen Hughes, Amy Freeman

Silverback is a feature-length documentary following wildlife cameraman Vianet Djenguet as he joins the effort to protect the critically endangered eastern lowland gorillas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Born in the neighbouring Republic of the Congo, Vianet has been invited by the Kahuzi-Biega National Park to document this often challenging but vital conservation work. However, with the DRC still suffering the impacts of war, can the planet’s largest primates be rescued from extinction?

Tigers on the Rise

Wildstar Films – Disney+

Production team

Narrated by Blair Underwood, Disneynature’s Tigers on the Rise celebrates the remarkable comeback of one of the world’s most iconic animals. Tiger populations have rebounded so successfully, many of the big cats are venturing from India’s forest reserves into farms and villages – a monumental challenge for both people and animals. The heroes in this story are the vets, scientists, and those who run the community patrols dedicated to ensuring that tigers and people can coexist.

Channel 4 Best Popular Culture Documentary

Arena – Being Kae Tempest

Bohemia Films and The Open University – BBC

Production team

Poet, rapper, playwright and recording artist Kae Tempest is one of the most viscerally exciting artists working in Britain today. In July 2020 they came out as non-binary, announcing that they would publish and perform under the name Kae. This unique Arena film delves deep into their creative process and gains rare, intimate insights into Kae’s life throughout a period of profound personal and artistic change.

Big Zuu Goes to Mecca

Acme TV – BBC

Zuhair ‘Big Zuu’ Hassan, Kiz Hoque, Ross Cameron, Adnan Ahmed, Jaimie D’Cruz

Big Zuu Goes to Mecca follows the award-winning TV chef and rapper as he visits one of Islam’s holiest cities for the first time. With a mum from Sierra Leone and a Lebanese dad, Big Zuu has Islam in his heritage on both sides of his family. But as a young man born and raised in London, sticking to strict rules hasn’t always been easy. Traveling to Mecca to make the pilgrimage of Umrah during Ramadan, the holiest month for Muslims, Big Zuu embarks on a journey he hopes will allow him to connect more deeply with his faith.

Milli Vanilli

Keep On Running Pictures, Fulwell 73, MRC – Paramount+

Luke Korem, Bradley Jackson, Jon Michael Simpson, Hanif Abdurraqib, Kim Marlowe, Patrick Berry

From their meteoric rise to public downfall, this captivating documentary chronicles the untold circumstances surrounding the infamous pop duo Milli Vanilli and their 1990s era lip-syncing scandal.

Spacey Unmasked – Episode 1

Roast Beef Productions in association with All3Media International – Channel 4
Katherine Haywood, Dorothy Byrne, Mike Lerner, Colin Moxon, Patrick Strudwick, Janet Knipe

Spacey Unmasked is a forensic look at Kevin Spacey’s life, featuring unseen interviews and archive footage. It covers his rise from Broadway to stardom and his fall amid allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour. In 2023, Spacey was acquitted of sexual offenses in the UK. This two-part series investigates his conduct, featuring new testimonies from men with experiences with Spacey, many speaking out for the first time.

Netflix Best Documentary Series

American Nightmare

RAW – Netflix

Production team

After a home invasion and abduction, a young couple’s recounting of the events is too far-fetched for the police to believe. This docuseries unravels the consequences of our cultural rush to judgment, and the damage done when law enforcement decides the truth can’t possibly be true.

Evacuation

Wonderhood Studios – Channel 4

Production team

Evacuation is a landmark documentary series about the British Military’s evacuation of Kabul, an incredibly complex and perilous military operation which became Britain’s biggest airlift since WWII. With top-to-bottom access to the British Military and never-seen-before combat footage, this ground-breaking series focuses on the personal stories of the British

servicemen and women, and Afghan citizens, who found themselves in the middle of a humanitarian crisis.

Lockerbie

Mindhouse Productions – Sky Documentaries

Nancy Strang, John Dower, Claire McFall, Barnaby Fry, Dejan Cancar, Charlie Hawryliw

Lockerbie is a gripping and emotional four-part series that documents the deadliest terror attack on UK soil – the 1988 bombing of flight Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, with 270 deaths. From the horror of the bombing itself, and the grief of victims’ relatives, the series turns to follow the lengthy worldwide investigation into who carried out the attack. One Libyan man was convicted at trial in 2001, but doubts persist over his guilt.

The Push: Murder on the Cliff

Candour Productions – Channel 4

Anna Hall, Luke Rothery, Josephine Besbrode, Tom Whitaker, Kate Reid

The Push is a gripping two-part documentary series following a British murder trial. A husband stands accused of pushing his wife to her death. The series allows viewers to experience the courtroom drama first hand. Did she fall or was she pushed?

Best Cinema Documentary

20 Days in Mariupol

FRONTLINE, PBS and The Associated Press – Theatrical release

Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson-Rath, Derl McCrudden, Vasilisa Stepanenko

An AP team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol struggle to continue their work documenting atrocities of the Russian invasion. As the only international reporters who remain in the

city, they capture what later become defining images of the war: dying children, mass graves, the bombing of a maternity hospital, and more.

American Symphony

Higher Ground, Mercury Studios, Our Time Projects – Netflix

Production team

While composing an original symphony for Carnegie Hall, Jon Batiste receives 11 Grammy nominations and is at a career high. But this trajectory is upended when his life partner – author Suleika Jaouad – learns that her long dormant cancer has returned in this portrait of two artists at a crossroads.

Kokomo City

Couch Potato Company, Madison Square Films – Theatrical release

D. Smith, Harris Doran, Bill Butler

Directed by two-time Grammy nominee D. Smith, Kokomo City takes up a seemingly simple mantle – to present the stories of four Black transgender sex workers in New York and Georgia. Shot in striking black and white, the boldness of the facts of these women’s lives and the earthquaking frankness they share complicate this enterprise, colliding the everyday with cutting social commentary and the excavation of long- dormant truths.

Queendom

Sundance Institute, Doc Society, Inmaat Productions, Vancouver Film School – Theatrical release
Agniia Galdanova, Igor Myakotin, David France, Jess Search, Arnaud Borges

Gena, a queer artist from a small town in Russia, stages radical performances in public that become a new form of art and activism – and put her life in danger.

All3Media Best Student Documentary

Beyond These Walls

National Film and Television School – University/college screening

Christine Seow, Jolinna Ang, Clare Maleeny, Nicholas Smyth, Diogo Chaves, Ellen Yu

Beyond These Walls offers a rare insight into a secured girls’ home in Singapore, delving into the lives of its residents. Through observational footage and intimate interviews, it illuminates the diverse circumstances and challenges faced by these girls. From struggles with familial relationships to navigating personal growth, the film provides a rare glimpse into their world, highlighting resilience and the quest for hope amidst adversity.

Hungry for Freedom

National Film and Television School – University/college screening

Rachata Thongruay, Athena Vlachos, Andy Sowerby, Olivier Sarrailh, Marcin Mazurek

Boong and Baipor are two activists from Thailand who got arrested for criticising the Thai monarchy. They are put in prison and denied their right to bail. They have to embark on a hunger strike to confirm their innocence and demand their release.

milk

National Film and Television School – University/college screening

Miranda Stern, Ashionye Ogene, Yiwei Pu, Liam Sharpe, Rotem Frimer, Carl Mason

A cinematic work around maternity, loss and addiction, focused on life and healing. One filmmaker sets out on a journey to discover the mother she never knew. Like the ancient Japanese art of kintsugi, the act of piecing back together all the scattered, jagged and broken bits of her mother’s life somehow helps her to make sense of her own life. But, like the act of filmmaking itself, it is a journey that will never feel complete.

The Waiter, the Scientist and Jenny

National Film and Television School – University/college screening

Joe Snelling, Ben Sales, Omar Gabriel Delnevo, Nir Perlman, Carl Mason, George Philip Blake

Once an exceptionally promising scientist, Marc Esposito now works as a waiter in Hastings, where he attempts to live an unusually free and unencumbered life, whilst simultaneously battling a severe mental health condition.

Fulwell 73 Best Documentary Short

Big Moves

Bridging the Gap: Outsiders – Edinburgh International Film Festival
Sarah Grant, Sophie Chater, Jack Gemmel

A personal short documentary about dancing as a plus size woman through the lens of pop culture. A radical and joyful reimagining of awesome dance scenes with the bodies that traditionally get pushed to the back taking up space front and centre.

BBC News Eye Investigations – Gaza 101: Emergency Rescue

BBC News Arabic, BBC World Service – BBC

Feras Al Ajrami, Mouna Ba, Mustafa Khalili, Mohamed Ibrahim, Julien El- Hajj, Wahal El Saadi

This film from BBC News Arabic follows four Palestinian Red Crescent paramedics in northern Gaza across the first month of the war, as they save lives in the area hardest hit by Israeli airstrikes.

Iranian Yellow Pages

Snow Films, WDM Entertainment – Netflix Still Watching YouTube Channel
Anna Snowball, Abolfazl Talooni, Christine Saab, Elisabeth Hopper, Alfred Thirolle, Francesca Cattaneo

Striving to build a successful life in London, Reza places an ad in a peculiar newspaper and discovers the Iranian community hidden in plain sight.

Ted & Noel

Happenstance Films – Channel 4

Julia Alcamo, Dan Hodgson, Mary Pattisson, Sarah Keeling, Morgan K Spencer, Peter Edwards

For 50 years, iconic activist Ted Brown has fought for queer and black identities. But after his partner suffers homophobic abuse in a care home, a devastated Ted questions the true impact of his activism.

Best Documentary Presenter

JOE TRACINI for Me and the Voice in My Head
Hungry Bear Media Ltd – Channel 4
Joe Tracini, Tom Green, Tommy Forbes, Dan Baldwin, Garry Crystal, Georgie Bayford

In this brave and uncompromisingly honest documentary, comedian Joe Tracini explores the root cause of his borderline personality disorder, which has left him suicidal. Delving into his traumatic childhood, he hopes to get a grip on his condition and revive his comedy career. From Joe’s unique perspective, this film explains and visualises the voice inside his head in a truly funny and original way – bringing to life an invisible condition that is largely unexplained.

NADIFA MOHAMED for Britain’s Human Zoos Red Bicycle with Milk & Honey – Channel 4

Paul Berczeller, Yasmin Hai, Nadifa Mohamed, Will Robson, Jeremy Groman, Lucy Pilkington

In the late 19th century, millions of Britons encountered non white people for the first time in person – in spectacles called ‘human zoos.’ This deeply strange but once hugely popular form of “entertainment” starring trafficked people has been all but forgotten. Acclaimed Somali-British novelist Nadifa Mohamed leads us on a remarkable investigation into the past, revealing what it was really like to “perform” in a human zoo – and the dark ideas behind them.

ROSE AYLING-ELLIS for Rose Ayling-Ellis: Signs for Change Rogan Productions – BBC
Production team

Rose Ayling-Ellis fronts a ground-breaking film challenging perceptions of the deaf community and putting audiences at the heart of the deaf experience. Following the news that British Sign Language has been recognised in law, it follows Rose on a personal journey as she explores the role the language has had in her life, the increasing role of technology for deaf children and she takes on the ultimate test of doing Shakespeare in BSL.

ZUHAIR ‘BIG ZUU’ HASSAN for Big Zuu Goes to Mecca
Acme TV – BBC
Zuhair ‘Big Zuu’ Hassan, Kiz Hoque, Ross Cameron, Adnan Ahmed, Jaimie D’Cruz

Big Zuu Goes to Mecca follows the award-winning TV chef and rapper as he visits one of Islam’s holiest cities for the first time. With a mum from Sierra Leone and a Lebanese dad, Big Zuu has Islam in his heritage on both sides of his family. But as a young man born and raised in London, sticking to strict rules hasn’t always been easy. Traveling to Mecca to make the pilgrimage of Umrah during Ramadan, the holiest month for Muslims, Big Zuu embarks on a journey he hopes will allow him to connect more deeply with his faith.

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