the achievements of our wonderful industry. We have seen the pivotal role the documentary plays in times of crisis, whether that be a global pandemic or the impact of racism on communities throughout the world. Congratulations to all of the nominees who made the shortlist from our highest ever number of entries. I wish I could toast you in person!
Welcome to Grierson 2020: The British Documentary Awards I
t is my pleasure to welcome you to the 2020 British Documentary Awards, albeit in a very different form this year. There has never been a more important time to celebrate
Covid-19 and the lockdown have had a devastating impact on the television sector, but it has been heartening to see the way the creative community has risen to the challenges it presented, overcoming so many obstacles. Many have played their part in supporting freelancers who have faced significant hardship, but I would particularly like to single out Donna Taberer who reacted so quickly to pull together free online training supported by ScreenSkills and Adeel Amini who set up The TV Mindset, highlighting issues around mental health and the way we should improve working practices. The Film and TV Charity have also fulfilled an essential role, providing financial help for freelancers who have fallen through the cracks of government support. I’m delighted to say that they are our charity partners for this year’s awards. Please donate if you can, and if you need their support don’t hesitate to contact them.
We also want to mark the strides taken towards a more diverse and inclusive industry. Broadcasters and production companies have been scrutinising their own unconscious biases and rethinking how to support more diverse talent both on-and off-screen. At The Grierson Trust we have done the same. For the first time, we have incorporated diversity and inclusion criteria into the awards categories and will continue to build on this for future competitions.
The Trust’s outreach programme, Grierson DocLab, actively demonstrates our commitment to helping young people from diverse backgrounds break into the documentary field. Now in its ninth year, it is going from strength to strength under the wonderful leadership of Yen Yau. Although we had to move the selection process and training online this year, the 2020 trainees embraced the course with enthusiasm and great commitment. We are sure they all have bright futures ahead of them, as our ever-growing network of Grierson DocLab Alumni continues to demonstrate.
DocLab is only possible because of the generosity of so many colleagues who volunteer their time to provide knowledge, insight and inspiration to our network of young creative talent. Our heartfelt thanks to all of you, as well as to our supporters, Netflix and The Rank Foundation, alongside The Rumi Foundation and indies Blast! Films, Dragonfly TV, Lightbox, Minnow Films, Plimsoll Productions, Renegade Pictures, The Garden, Wise Owl Films/All3Media, RAW and 72 Films. Thank you to our partners Clear Cut Pictures, Blueberry Creatives, The Talent Manager and The Kit Room. Your support has a huge impact on the careers and aspirations of our trainees and alumni.
Judging these awards is a painstaking and time-consuming process. Our thanks go to the reviewers who made sure each entry was given fair consideration and to the judges who viewed the shortlist and chose the winners. As always there were many vigorous debates but the one thing everybody agreed was that the standard was higher than ever.
As a small charity we rely on our sponsors to make these awards possible. We are hugely grateful to all those organisations who have loyally honoured their commitments despite facing financial challenges. A big thank you to our headline sponsor for the third year running, All3Media. Our thanks also go to the category sponsors: BBC, BFI Doc Society Fund, Channel 4, Channel 5, Discovery, Envy, Netflix, Real Stories, Sargent-Disc, Storm, The Open University, The Rumi Foundation, Warner Bros Television Production UK and YouTube Originals. Thank you to Televisual, The British Council, The Talent Manager and The Kit Room, too. Your support through this challenging time is much appreciated and crucial to celebrating the creative talent at this year’s Griersons.
We are delighted to have secured one of the UK’s most outstanding comedy talents to host this year’s awards, the writer and performer Sara Pascoe. Thanks to Sara and to our new digital broadcast partners, Little Dot Studios for helping us to navigate the new waters of delivering the ceremony online.
It is my great privilege to be Chair of The Grierson Trust, and I would like to say thank you to the small team who make the awards and Grierson DocLab outreach programme a reality. Special thanks go to our Managing Director, Jane Callaghan. Her attention to detail, ability to cope with every challenge and passion for documentaries are truly amazing. Thank you to my fellow Trustees, too, who give up so much of their time and lend their expertise to guide and promote The Trust.
The Trustees decide the winner of the BBC Grierson Trustees’ Award each year, and we are thrilled that the 2020 award goes to filmmaker, Asif Kapadia. Celebrated for inventing his own genre of documentary and reaching a new audience by creating Britain’s biggest box-office documentary hits, Asif thoroughly deserves this accolade.
Wherever and whenever you are watching the awards, I hope you enjoy them. Let’s come together virtually to celebrate excellence and congratulate all the nominees and the winners!
Please stay safe and well.
Lorraine Heggessey Chair, The Grierson Trust
Free 24/7 confidential Support Line 0800 054 0000
The Film and TV Charity needs your help to make sure those groups most affected by the Coronavirus Pandemic can afford to stay in the industry we all love. Donations will help provide support to those in greatest need. If you can, please make a donation today, however large or small. If you need our support, please get in touch.
filmtvcharity.org.uk/support-our-work/donate/
2 GRIERSON 2020: THE BRITISH DOCUMENTARY AWARDS
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