Nominations for The Grierson 2011

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Marathon Boy runs a new race against Ayrton Senna, Leonard Cohen, ballerinas, polar bears and Tolstoy as they all make the final cut for The Griersons 2011

Budhia Singh (Marathon Boy), Ayrton Senna, Leonard Cohen, polar bears, Tolstoy and the company of English National Ballet are all among the subjects starring in the forty films that have made the final cut for Grierson 2011: The British Documentary Awards in association with Sky Arts HD and Honda. The most prestigious awards in the documentary world, the Griersons celebrate the best in documentary film-making. The winners will be crowned on 1^st November at a star-studded ceremony at BFI Southbank.

Chairman of The Grierson Trust, Dawn Airey said: “This year’s judging day was vigorous and passionate with several panels ending up with some blood on the carpet - which proves more than anything that our documentary world is in rude health with passionate, skilled documentary-makers creating films worth fighting for.

“I’m proud that the annual Griersons continue to celebrate all that is great in documentary making and that we are the only awards where promising student film-makers are recognised alongside the genre’s luminaries. It is important to us that we recognise and support the extraordinary new talent that continues to blossom in documentary making as well as championing the very best film-making from the UK and around the world.

“A ‘Grierson’ remains the one award that all documentary makers covet.”

Each judging panel is made up of a mix of industry experts, film makers, channel commissioners, genre experts and well known faces from across cinema and television. Amongst the 60 members of the Award panels, this year’s jurors include presenters Louis Theroux, Professor Marcus du Sautoy and Mariella Frostrup; authors Tom Holland and Andrea Levy; film-makers Amy Flanagan, Kevin Macdonald, James Marsh and Barry Ackroyd; as well as, former Grierson winners Jaimie D’Cruz, Daisy Asquith and Adam Wishart.

The ten categories are: Deluxe 142 Best Documentary on a Contemporary Issue – Domestic, Shell Best Documentary on a Contemporary Issue – International, Bridgeman Art Library Best Arts Documentary, ITN Source Best Historical Documentary, Televisual Best Science Documentary, Current Most Entertaining Documentary, Envy Best Documentary Series, DocHouse Best Cinema Documentary, CTVC Best Newcomer Documentary and, new for 2011, the Sky Arts Best Student Documentary.

Productions nominated for this year’s awards include: Battle for Barking, The War You Don’t See, The Trouble with Tolstoy, Polar Bear – Spy on the Ice, Human Planet, Senna and Hugh’s Fish Fight with Marathon Boy and Agony & Ecstasy: A Year with English National Ballet both being nominated in two categories each.

Also presented on the evening will be the Honda Trustees’ Award. Selected at the discretion of the Grierson Trustees, this award recognises an outstanding contribution to the art or craft of the documentary.

Honda and Sky Arts HD lead a raft of new and existing sponsors and supporters of The Grierson Trust which also includes Shell International, ITN Source, CTVC, Deluxe 142, Bridgeman Art Library, Current, Envy and the British Council.

Read the nominations