GRIERSON DOCUMENTARIES

CULTURE AND SPORTS

A selection of 17 Grierson nominated documentaries on culture and sport. We have selected

the best titles from award nominations spanning 2011 to 2017.

The Arbor

Debut feature from artist and director Clio Barnard, The Arbor is a captivating and revelatory

piece of cinema which has garnered many awards.

David Hockney: A Bigger Picture

Shot single-handedly over three years, this unprecedented record of a major artist at work

captures David Hockney’s return from California to paint the East Yorkshire landscape of his

childhood.

Lucian Freud - Painted Life

Painted Life explores the life and work of Lucian Freud, undoubtedly one of Britain's greatest

artists.

Senna

A documentary on Brazilian Formula One racing driver Ayrton Senna, who won the F1 world

championship three times before his death at age 34.

Algorithms

In India, a group of boys dream of becoming Chess Masters, driven by a man with a vision.

But this is no ordinary chess and these are no ordinary players - welcome to the thriving but

little known world of Blind Chess.

20,000 Days on Earth

Drama and reality combine in a fictitious 24 hours in the life of musician and international

cultural icon, Nick Cave. With startlingly

frank insights and an intimate portrayal of the artistic process, the film examines what makes

us who we are, and celebrates the

transformative power of the creative spirit.

War of Words: Soldier-Poets of the Somme

The 1916 Battle of the Somme remains the most famous battle of World War I, remembered

for its bloodshed and its limited

territorial gains. Often overlooked, is the battle's literary importance: more writers and poets

fought at the Somme than in any other

battle in history.

Our World War: The First Day

Impactful factual drama series, scripted from primary sources and first hand testimony and

inspired by award-winning documentary series 'Our War', revealing the true stories and real

experiences of British soldiers who fought and died in the First World War. In August 1914,

the 4th Battalion The Royal Fusiliers reach the town of Mons in Southern Belgium. Caught

by an overwhelming German army, which of them will survive the first battle of the First

World War?

Amy

A once-in-a-generation talent, Amy Winehouse was a musician that captured the world's

attention. A pure jazz artist in the most authentic sense - she wrote and sung from the heart

using her musical gifts to analyse her own problems. The combination of her raw honesty

and supreme talent resulted in some of the most unique and adored songs of the modern

era.

Ted Hughes: Stronger Than Death

Ted Hughes is widely recognised as one of our greatest poets. He is also one of the most

controversial. The 'Heathcliff' of poetry who ''attracted more scandal than any other literary

figure with the exception of Lord Byron' as one contributor notes. Now, for the first time the

events of his life and the breadth and influence of his poetry are the focus of a major

documentary.

The Secret World of Lego

Last year Lego became the most profitable toy makers in the world. Now this notoriously

secretive, privately-owned superbrand has opened its doors. We discover what makes it tick,

meet some of its key people and reveal more about the company DNA than ever before.

SCIENCE AND NATURE

A selection of 11 Grierson nominated documentaries on Science, Natural History and the

Environment. We have selected the best titles from award nominations spanning 2011 to

2017.

The 2000 Year-Old Computer

The extraordinary story of how, 2,000 years ago, the ancient Greeks built a computer.

David Attenborough's Natural History Museum Alive

Using cutting-edge science and astounding CGI, David Attenborough takes us on a magical

journey through the Museum to see the exhibits as they looked when they roamed the

planet, allowing him new insights into how these creatures lived and behaved.

The Girl Who Talked to Dolphins

It is the most audacious experiment in the history of animal science: a 1960s scientist

wanted to communicate with dolphins by teaching them to speak.

Panorama: To Walk Again

In a world exclusive, we told the story of a paralysed man who is able to walk again after a

pioneering transplant using the regenerative cells that repair and renew our sense of smell.

Kisilu - I'll Start with Myself

Through observational footage and video diary shot over tree years we follow the journey of

a Kenyan small-scale farmer becoming a leader in his community through bringing local

farmers together to fight the increasing drought and storm.

How to Change the World

In 1971 a small group of activists set sail from Vancouver, Canada in an old fishing boat.

Their mission was to stop Nixon’s atomic test bomb in Amchitka, Alaska. Chronicling this

untold story at the birth of the modern environmental movement and with access to dramatic

archive footage unseen for over 40 years, the film centres on eco-hero Robert Hunter and

his part in the creation of the global organization we now know as Greenpeace.

Inside Einstein's Mind: The Enigma of Space and Time

A documentary marking the 100th anniversary of Einsteins greatest work - the theory of

General Relativity. The film is a magical visual journey that begins in Einsteins young mind,

follows the thought experiments that gave him stunning insights about the physical world,

and ultimately reaches the extremes of modern physics.

Oak Tree: Nature's Greatest Survivor

Dr George McGavin investigates the highly varied and dramatic life of an oak tree. Part

science documentary, part historical investigation, this film is a celebration of one of the most

iconic trees in the British countryside. It aims to give viewers a sense of what an

extraordinary species the oak is and provide an insight into how this venerable tree

experiences life.

Attenborough and the Giant Dinosaur

David Attenborough follows the twists and turns of a forensic investigation, into what is

revealed as the largest land animal ever known. Using cutting edge graphics, the film

reveals the internal structure of the dinosaur and how it lived. The fossils are pieced together

into a new species of giant titanosaur and David Attenborough meets the palaeontologists

on their journey of discovery culminating in the making a huge replica skeleton.

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

A selection of 25 Grierson nominated documentaries that take a wide-ranging look at the

rest of the world. We have selected the best titles from award nominations spanning 2011 to

2016.

Requiem for Detroit

This film evokes an apocalyptic vision. Once America’s fourth largest city, Detroit was built

by the car for the car, with the first freeways, suburbs, and shopping centres, it embodied the

American dream.

Soundtrack for a Revolution

The film tells the story of the American civil rights movement through the powerful songs that

protesters sang on picket lines, in mass meetings, and in jail cells.

Transsexual Teen Beauty Queen

Following the world’s youngest transsexual as she attempts to win Miss England and draw

attention to the challenges she’s faced to become her true self.

Salma

After Salma reached puberty, she spent nine years trapped in one small room.

Imagine: Theatre of War

Theatre of War follows a unique collaboration between two unlikely partners leading to a

ground-­‐ breaking West End play that shocked, entertained and inspired all who saw it.

Storyville: Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer

Three young women face seven years in a Russian prison for a satirical performance in a

Moscow cathedral. But who is really on trial in a case that has gripped the nation and the

world beyond – three young artists or the society they live in?

Our Gay Wedding: The Musical

On 29 March 2014 same-sex marriage became legal in England and Wales. Take a front

row seat at one of the first gay weddings which will be an extraordinary ceremony in more

ways than one - it's a musical.

Made of Steel

This film follows a team of athletes as they compete at the National Junior Championships, a

Wheelchair Basketball tournament that involves players from across the UK.

Out There

A two-part documentary series exploring first-hand how the lives of men and women in

different communities across the globe have been impacted by their sexuality.

Dreamcatcher

DREAMCATCHER takes us into a hidden world through the eyes of one of its survivors;

Brenda Myers-Powell.

The Supreme Price

The Supreme Price is a feature length documentary film that traces the evolution of the Pro-

Democracy Movement in Nigeria and efforts to increase the participation of women in

leadership roles. Following the annulment of her father's victory in Nigeria's Presidential

Election and her mother's assassination by agents of the military dictatorship, Hafsat Abiola

faces the challenge of transforming a corrupt culture of governance into a democracy

capable of serving Nigeria's most marginalized population: women.

Holocaust: Night Will Fall

Holocaust: Night Will Fall is a powerful new documentary about the liberation of the Nazi

concentration camps and how combat and newsreel cameramen filmed the almost

unbelievable scenes encountered there.

Behind Closed Doors

With unprecedented access to the Thames Valley Police Domestic Abuse Teams, and the

victims of violence they are helping, Behind Closed Doors gives an extraordinary insight into

the most common violent crime to take place in the home.

Children of the Gaza War

This heart-breaking film follows the lives of children on both sides of a conflict in the midst of

a summer war which killed more than 500 children. Filming long after the news crews left,

the documentary explores five children's trauma, resilience and growing resentment. The

children were living through their third war in six years, each time growing further apart from

their close neighbours.

Storyville: A Syrian Love Story

Award-winning documentary film by renowned filmmaker Sean McAllister, telling the

poignant story of a family torn apart by the Assad regime.

Attacking the Devil

Described by many of his peers to be the greatest newspaper man of the twentieth century,

Sir Harold Evans edited the Sunday Times during a period considered to be the 'golden age'

in British Journalism. Attacking the Devil covers some of the investigations and campaigns

that earned him that praise.

Sunflower Inn

"La Locanda dei Girasoli" (The Sunflower Inn) in Rome serves great food. But there is one

difference from other Roman pizzerias: most of the staff have Down's Syndrome. This 40-

minute film observes a special corner of the Italian capital where ordinary human beings

achieve the extraordinary.

Women in Sink

The film shows 10 portraits of women - Arabs and Jews, in the hair-washing sink, speaking

with curious Iris about politics, history, life and love, representing contrasting voices of the

Israeli society.