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20 Days In Mariupol, the Oscar-winning Frontline/PBS and Associated Press documentary, was one of the big victors at the UK’s prestigious Grierson Awards on Wednesday.
20 Days In Mariupol won Best Current Affairs Documentary and Best Cinema Documentary at the event staged at London’s Roundhouse (full winners below).
Other winners included Me and the Voice in My Head, Channel 4’s documentary spotlighting Joe Tracini, a comedian who lives with Borderline Personality Disorder. As well as picking up Best Single Documentary, Tracini won Best Documentary Presenter.
The Grierson Awards has found itself at the crucible of industry debate about the Israel-Gaza conflict after removing Oscar-winning director Asif Kapadia as a patron amid a backlash over social media posts considered to be antisemitic.
The decision, first revealed by Deadline, sparked a boycott among members of UK television’s Muslim and South Asian community. Senior industry figures wrote to the Grierson Trust to express their dismay over the organization silencing a vocal advocate for the Palestinian cause.
Documentary filmmakers spoke out in support of Palestine during the awards. Mobeen Azhar, who has won a BAFTA for Muslims Like Us, presented the award for Best History Documentary and said journalists must stick to their values as truthseekers when it comes to the conflict in the Middle East.
“There is nothing particularly complicated about the collective punishment of an entire nation,” he said to applause. “There is nothing complicated about our colleagues being killed at an unprecedented rate in Gaza. There’s nothing complicated about an occupation that has gone on for decades.”
Filmmaker Jasleen Kaur Sethi, who was nominated for ITV documentary Ellie Simmonds: Finding My Secret Family, wrote on Instagram: “I wanted to … remember the people whose lives have been irrevocably changed in conflicts around the world, particularly the children of #Palestine.”
The Grierson Trust has said Kapadia’s removal was a difficult decision and was only taken after “robust discussion” and due process. The organization said that it supports free speech, but does not tolerate racism.
Best Single Documentary — Domestic
Me and the Voice in My Head, Hungry Bear Media Ltd for Channel 4
Best Single Documentary — International
My Name is Happy, October Films, Red Zed Films, Horovel Films for Channel 4
Best Current Affairs Documentary
20 Days in Mariupol, FRONTLINE, PBS and The Associated Press for Theatrical release
Best Arts Documentary
Yellow Door: ’90s Lo-fi Film Club, Broccoli Pictures Co. Ltd for Netflix
Best Music Documentary
Milli Vanilli, Keep On Running Pictures, Fulwell 73, MRC for Paramount+
Broadcast Sport Best Sports Documentary
Mighty Penguins, Meadowlark, Firelight, Fever for theatrical release
Best History Documentary
Stamped from the Beginning, A Netflix Documentary, One Story Up Production for Netflix
Best Science Documentary
The Jennings vs Alzheimer’s, Expectation Entertainment for BBC
Best Natural History or Environmental Documentary
Silverback, An Off the Fence Production for BBC in co-production with France Télévisions in association with Featuristic Films for BBC
Best Popular Culture Documentary
Big Zuu Goes to Mecca, Acme TV for BBC
Best Documentary Series
The Push: Murder on the Cliff, Candour Productions for Channel 4
Best Student Documentary
The Waiter, the Scientist and Jenny, National Film and Television School – University/college screening
Best Documentary Short
Ted & Noel, Happenstance Films for Channel 4
Best Documentary Presenter
Joe Tracini for Me and the Voice in My Head, Hungry Bear Media Ltd for Channel 4
Grierson Trustees’ Award
Stacey Dooley
