Sponsorship deals with Sky Arts HD and Honda

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The Grierson Trust announces two major new sponsorship deals for this year’s British Documentary Awards, more fondly known as The Griersons: a new innovative broadcast partnership with Sky Arts HD, and Honda as the sponsors of the coveted Trustees Award. The awards will now be known as Grierson 2011: The British Documentary Awards in association with Sky Arts HD and Honda.

Announcing the new deals, Chairman of The Grierson Trust, Dawn Airey said: “It is fabulous to have entered into these new partnerships with Sky Arts HD and Honda. It is inspiring to find, particularly in these economic times, two thriving, creatively driven companies who are as passionate about documentary as we are.

“Our new broadcast partnership with Sky Arts will ensure that this year’s winners and their films are acknowledged and brought to the attention of a whole new documentary hungry audience.

“While Honda’s headline sponsorship of the Grierson Trustees Award continues their celebration of the very best in documentary making.

“I’m very much looking forward to working with both companies to ensure that this year’s awards are the best and most exciting yet.”

Sky Arts HD have committed to broadcast the awards in an all new way. Shown throughout the month of November, each award category will be made into its own mini-doc complete with extracts from the winning films and interviews with those involved in both the creation and the judging of its merits. The series of 11 shorts will then be shown as interstitials spread across the Sky Arts HD schedule for the month. Sky Arts will also be named sponsors of the Best Student Documentary category.

James Hunt, Controller of Sky Arts HD said: “I hope that our unique broadcasting commitment to the Griersons will ensure that the award winners gain the recognition that they deserve and that as a channel we can celebrate the extraordinary documentary film making that takes place in this country.”

Honda will become the first ever sponsors of the Trustees Award. The Trustees Award recognises outstanding contribution to the art or craft of documentary making. Previous winners include luminaries Penny Woolcock, Norma Percy, Paul Watson, Mike Salisbury, Nick Fraser, Jonathan Gili, Molly Dineen and Sir David Attenborough.

Honda’s Simon Gardiner said: “Honda has a well documented track record of funding and sponsoring documentary film making. In this new venture with The Grierson Trust, we want to ensure that we continue to support the cream of British and international documentary film makers by giving our name to the ultimate prize in documentary film-making: The Honda Grierson Trustees Awards.”

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