Exclusive: Netflix’s Harry & Meghan would never have found a home at the BBC, the woman tasked with overseeing the corporation’s documentary programing has said.
According to Clare Sillery, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s approach to the Netflix smash series would be unacceptable for a public broadcaster that “cannot relinquish editorial control.”
Speaking on the eve of Sheffield Doc Fest, Sillery said doc commissioning is a “question of trust and what audiences expect from us,” while she acknowledged that “in the online world people can have complete control of their own narratives.”
Clare Sillery: “This is a question of trust and what audiences expect from us.”
“But the question for the viewer is what you are paying your license fee for,” she said. “[The viewer] expects us to maintain the editorial standards that we have.”
Much has been made of the editorial control exerted by the subjects in last year’s doc series,...
According to Clare Sillery, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s approach to the Netflix smash series would be unacceptable for a public broadcaster that “cannot relinquish editorial control.”
Speaking on the eve of Sheffield Doc Fest, Sillery said doc commissioning is a “question of trust and what audiences expect from us,” while she acknowledged that “in the online world people can have complete control of their own narratives.”
Clare Sillery: “This is a question of trust and what audiences expect from us.”
“But the question for the viewer is what you are paying your license fee for,” she said. “[The viewer] expects us to maintain the editorial standards that we have.”
Much has been made of the editorial control exerted by the subjects in last year’s doc series,...
- 6/15/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
The UK TV industry has attracted stinging criticism from special interest groups and trade bodies after only one of 12 nominated Directors at the BAFTA TV Craft Awards was female.
The We Are Doc Women collective, which is currently calling for broadcasters to bring in a 50% gender quota for directors on factual shows, said it will be contacting major broadcasters and production houses over the “saddening and angering” lack of female representation, while Directors UK criticized the lack of opportunities for diverse talent in mid-level careers.
We Are Doc Women’s statement described the male-only nomination shock as “one step forward and two steps back.”
The collective wrote to BAFTA in 2020 after a similar eventuality had taken place and last year’s Director: Factual nomination crop was 50/50 split, with Teresa Griffiths taking home the award for BBC Two’s Lee Miller: A Life on the Front Line.
But this year has reverted to type,...
The We Are Doc Women collective, which is currently calling for broadcasters to bring in a 50% gender quota for directors on factual shows, said it will be contacting major broadcasters and production houses over the “saddening and angering” lack of female representation, while Directors UK criticized the lack of opportunities for diverse talent in mid-level careers.
We Are Doc Women’s statement described the male-only nomination shock as “one step forward and two steps back.”
The collective wrote to BAFTA in 2020 after a similar eventuality had taken place and last year’s Director: Factual nomination crop was 50/50 split, with Teresa Griffiths taking home the award for BBC Two’s Lee Miller: A Life on the Front Line.
But this year has reverted to type,...
- 3/31/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Keshet International has completed further pre-sales on “Surviving 9/11,” Top Hat Productions’ feature-length documentary for the BBC.
The BBC had commissioned the film to mark 20 years of the tragedy, which falls this year.
Keshet has finalized license deals with The Seven Network in Australia; Globo in Brazil; CBC in Canada for both the CBC network and its French network Société Radio-Canada; Tvnz in New Zealand; Dpg Media in Belgium; Rtv in Slovenia; Nrk in Norway; Sky Deutschland in Germany; Kan in Israel; AMC Networks International Southern Europe in Spain and Portugal for its Odisea/Odisseia channel; and Rai Documentari in Italy. Hoopla Digital has picked up the library streaming rights in the U.S. and Canada.
Previous sales by Keshet on the documentary formerly known as “9/11: The Twenty-Year Anniversary,” directed by BAFTA-winning filmmaker Arthur Cary (“The Last Survivors”), were to Canal Plus Group in France, TV2 in Denmark, TV4 in Sweden,...
The BBC had commissioned the film to mark 20 years of the tragedy, which falls this year.
Keshet has finalized license deals with The Seven Network in Australia; Globo in Brazil; CBC in Canada for both the CBC network and its French network Société Radio-Canada; Tvnz in New Zealand; Dpg Media in Belgium; Rtv in Slovenia; Nrk in Norway; Sky Deutschland in Germany; Kan in Israel; AMC Networks International Southern Europe in Spain and Portugal for its Odisea/Odisseia channel; and Rai Documentari in Italy. Hoopla Digital has picked up the library streaming rights in the U.S. and Canada.
Previous sales by Keshet on the documentary formerly known as “9/11: The Twenty-Year Anniversary,” directed by BAFTA-winning filmmaker Arthur Cary (“The Last Survivors”), were to Canal Plus Group in France, TV2 in Denmark, TV4 in Sweden,...
- 7/23/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The Sheffield DocFest has unveiled its line-up for its 2021 programme that includes the World Premiere of the first instalment of Academy Award winner Steve McQueen’s new series for the BBC, ‘Uprising’.
For the first time, Sheffield DocFest goes nationwide with five premiere screenings showing in up to 16 partner cinemas in cities around the UK, and online, followed by pre-recorded Q&As. It also includes the previously announced Retrospective: Films belong to those who need them – fragments from the history of Black British Cinema.
The celebration of Black British screen culture – curated by guest curators including David Olusoga. Films of all lengths will all be presented as part of the retrospective including titles such as ‘Burning An Illusion’ by Menelik Shabazz, ‘It Ain’t Half Racist’, ‘Mum’ by Stuart Hall, ‘Looking for Langston’ by Isaac Julien, ‘Second Coming’ by Debbie Tucker Green, ‘The Black Safari’ by Colin Luke, ‘Baby Mother...
For the first time, Sheffield DocFest goes nationwide with five premiere screenings showing in up to 16 partner cinemas in cities around the UK, and online, followed by pre-recorded Q&As. It also includes the previously announced Retrospective: Films belong to those who need them – fragments from the history of Black British Cinema.
The celebration of Black British screen culture – curated by guest curators including David Olusoga. Films of all lengths will all be presented as part of the retrospective including titles such as ‘Burning An Illusion’ by Menelik Shabazz, ‘It Ain’t Half Racist’, ‘Mum’ by Stuart Hall, ‘Looking for Langston’ by Isaac Julien, ‘Second Coming’ by Debbie Tucker Green, ‘The Black Safari’ by Colin Luke, ‘Baby Mother...
- 5/17/2021
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The festival will take place in Sheffield, across the UK, and online.
The programme for the 28th edition of Sheffield Doc/Fest includes the world premiere of the first episode of Uprising, a three-part documentary series from UK filmmakers Steve McQueen and James Rogan.
Doc/Fest 2021 will play 55 world premieres and 22 international premieres, for the event running in Sheffield, across the UK and online from June 4-13.
Scroll down for the Competition titles
First announced last week and playing at the festival as a Special Screening, Uprising will examine three events from 1981 - in January, the New Cross Fire which killed 13 black teenagers; in March,...
The programme for the 28th edition of Sheffield Doc/Fest includes the world premiere of the first episode of Uprising, a three-part documentary series from UK filmmakers Steve McQueen and James Rogan.
Doc/Fest 2021 will play 55 world premieres and 22 international premieres, for the event running in Sheffield, across the UK and online from June 4-13.
Scroll down for the Competition titles
First announced last week and playing at the festival as a Special Screening, Uprising will examine three events from 1981 - in January, the New Cross Fire which killed 13 black teenagers; in March,...
- 5/17/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The 2021 Sheffield Doc/Fest has announced its competition contenders alongside its full program.
The international competition includes “Charm Circle” “Rancho”, “Factory to the Workers” and “Summer”.
Also competing are “Equatorial Constellations”, “From the 84 Days”, “This Stained Dawn”, “Nũhũ Yãg Mũ Yõg Hãm: This Land Is Our Land!”, “White on White”, “Double Layered Town / Making a Song to Replace Our Positions” and “My Dear Spies”.
The festival’s complete program includes 55 world premieres, 22 international premieres, 15 European premieres and 59 U.K. premieres from 57 countries with 63 languages represented, spread over 78 features and 88 shorts.
Being presented as special screenings this year are five world premieres. Steve McQueen and James Rogan’s new series “Uprising”; Clive Patterson’s “Sing, Freetown”; and working with U.K. poet laureate Simon Armitage, Brian Hill presents “Where Did The World Go.” Additionally, three films will offer different perspectives on 9/11 and its consequences — “My Childhood, My Country – 20 Years in Afghanistan...
The international competition includes “Charm Circle” “Rancho”, “Factory to the Workers” and “Summer”.
Also competing are “Equatorial Constellations”, “From the 84 Days”, “This Stained Dawn”, “Nũhũ Yãg Mũ Yõg Hãm: This Land Is Our Land!”, “White on White”, “Double Layered Town / Making a Song to Replace Our Positions” and “My Dear Spies”.
The festival’s complete program includes 55 world premieres, 22 international premieres, 15 European premieres and 59 U.K. premieres from 57 countries with 63 languages represented, spread over 78 features and 88 shorts.
Being presented as special screenings this year are five world premieres. Steve McQueen and James Rogan’s new series “Uprising”; Clive Patterson’s “Sing, Freetown”; and working with U.K. poet laureate Simon Armitage, Brian Hill presents “Where Did The World Go.” Additionally, three films will offer different perspectives on 9/11 and its consequences — “My Childhood, My Country – 20 Years in Afghanistan...
- 5/17/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Nominations have been unveiled for the 48th edition of the Grierson Awards, the UK’s top documentary awards.
A total of 52 films are nominated across 14 categories. Of those, 21 were broadcast on BBC channel, while Netflix has nine nominations and Channel 4 has five. ITV and Al Jazeera have two apiece whilst nominations newcomer YouTube Originals joins Channel 5, National Geographic and Discovery with one each.
Tiger King is up for Best Entertaining Documentary alongside fellow Netflix title Love is Blind. Netflix’s Don’t F**k With Cats and The Devil Next Door are also both up for Best Documentary series.
The Best Cinema Documentary nominees are American Factory, which won the Oscar this year, alongside the Oscar nominated Honeyland and For Sama, with Midnight Family completing the field.
Full list of nominations:
Best Single Documentary – Domestic
The Family Secret
Anna Hall, Sally Ogden, Luke Rothery & Brian Woods for Candour Productions...
A total of 52 films are nominated across 14 categories. Of those, 21 were broadcast on BBC channel, while Netflix has nine nominations and Channel 4 has five. ITV and Al Jazeera have two apiece whilst nominations newcomer YouTube Originals joins Channel 5, National Geographic and Discovery with one each.
Tiger King is up for Best Entertaining Documentary alongside fellow Netflix title Love is Blind. Netflix’s Don’t F**k With Cats and The Devil Next Door are also both up for Best Documentary series.
The Best Cinema Documentary nominees are American Factory, which won the Oscar this year, alongside the Oscar nominated Honeyland and For Sama, with Midnight Family completing the field.
Full list of nominations:
Best Single Documentary – Domestic
The Family Secret
Anna Hall, Sally Ogden, Luke Rothery & Brian Woods for Candour Productions...
- 9/21/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Nominations for the 48th annual British Documentary Awards, known as the Griersons, include episode two of Netflix docuseries “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness,” Waad Al-Kateab and Edward Watts’ Oscar-nominated and BAFTA-winning “For Sama,” and a best presenter nod for David Olusoga for “The Unwanted: The Secret Windrush Files.”
The awards are given by The Grierson Trust. Of the 52 nominated films, 21 were broadcast on BBC channels. Netflix has nine nominations and Channel 4 has five. ITV and Al Jazeera have two apiece while YouTube Originals, Channel 5, National Geographic and Discovery have one each.
Lorraine Heggessey, chair of The Grierson Trust, said: “This has been a difficult year for the production community and particularly for freelancers, so it’s more important than ever to recognize and celebrate the excellence of so many talented filmmakers, whether they are newcomers or established global names. These nominations demonstrate the relevance and versatility of documentaries,...
The awards are given by The Grierson Trust. Of the 52 nominated films, 21 were broadcast on BBC channels. Netflix has nine nominations and Channel 4 has five. ITV and Al Jazeera have two apiece while YouTube Originals, Channel 5, National Geographic and Discovery have one each.
Lorraine Heggessey, chair of The Grierson Trust, said: “This has been a difficult year for the production community and particularly for freelancers, so it’s more important than ever to recognize and celebrate the excellence of so many talented filmmakers, whether they are newcomers or established global names. These nominations demonstrate the relevance and versatility of documentaries,...
- 9/21/2020
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
U.K. broadcaster BBC One has commissioned a feature-length documentary looking back at the events of 9/11.
Keshet International will distribute the film internationally, launching it as part of their Mipcom 2020 slate. Produced by Top Hat Productions (“The $50m Art Swindle”), the documentary is directed by BAFTA winner Arthur Cary (“The Last Survivors”).
“9/11: The Twenty Year Anniversary” will detail two hours of the tragedy, almost in real time, told by contributors’ stories of heroism and survival, and illustrated with personal and public archives. The film will juxtapose that two-hour story with the 20 years since, exploring how the lives of individuals continue to be affected by moments that took place in that period and how the world continues to be shaped by it.
Clare Sillery, head of commissioning for documentaries, history and religion at the BBC, said: “This film takes a new and different look at an important subject matter. All...
Keshet International will distribute the film internationally, launching it as part of their Mipcom 2020 slate. Produced by Top Hat Productions (“The $50m Art Swindle”), the documentary is directed by BAFTA winner Arthur Cary (“The Last Survivors”).
“9/11: The Twenty Year Anniversary” will detail two hours of the tragedy, almost in real time, told by contributors’ stories of heroism and survival, and illustrated with personal and public archives. The film will juxtapose that two-hour story with the 20 years since, exploring how the lives of individuals continue to be affected by moments that took place in that period and how the world continues to be shaped by it.
Clare Sillery, head of commissioning for documentaries, history and religion at the BBC, said: “This film takes a new and different look at an important subject matter. All...
- 9/9/2020
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: BBC One has commissioned 9/11: The Twenty Year Anniversary, a feature length documentary marking the 20th anniversary of 9/11, from UK firm Top Hat Productions (Exposed: The Church’s Darkest Secret) and BAFTA-winning director Arthur Cary (The Last Survivors).
The 90-minute film, which will air next year, will tell the story of the two-hour period when terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and Flight 93 changed the world forever. It will also tell a parallel narrative of how those two hours changed the lives of those who were there, with past and present interacting throughout the film.
The doc will unfold almost in real-time, and include some of the extraordinary stories of heroism from the day, as well as personal and public archive footage.
Keshet International will distribute internationally, launching it officially as part of their Mipcom 2020 slate.
Brit director Cary’s star is on the rise. His BBC...
The 90-minute film, which will air next year, will tell the story of the two-hour period when terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and Flight 93 changed the world forever. It will also tell a parallel narrative of how those two hours changed the lives of those who were there, with past and present interacting throughout the film.
The doc will unfold almost in real-time, and include some of the extraordinary stories of heroism from the day, as well as personal and public archive footage.
Keshet International will distribute internationally, launching it officially as part of their Mipcom 2020 slate.
Brit director Cary’s star is on the rise. His BBC...
- 9/9/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Updated With Winners: Chernobyl was the big winner at the BAFTA TV Craft Awards on Friday after the Sky and HBO drama scooped seven awards.
The Sister-produced nuclear disaster series beat competition from the likes of The Crown, Killing Eve and The Virtues at the pre-recorded ceremony, triumphing in categories including Director: Fiction for Johan Renck. Other wins included best Production Design and Editing: Fiction.
Elsewhere, other winners included Jesse Armstrong, who took home best Writer: Drama for Succession, while Jamie Demetriou scooped best Writer: Comedy for Stath Lets Flats. This Was Up creator Aisling Bea won the Breakthrough Talent gong. BBC and HBO drama His Dark Materials won in two categories: Special, Visual and Graphic Effects, and Titles and Graphic Identity.
The BAFTA TV Craft Awards was one of the industry’s first major awards ceremonies of the pandemic era. The event, which celebrated the best of British TV’s behind-the-scenes talent,...
The Sister-produced nuclear disaster series beat competition from the likes of The Crown, Killing Eve and The Virtues at the pre-recorded ceremony, triumphing in categories including Director: Fiction for Johan Renck. Other wins included best Production Design and Editing: Fiction.
Elsewhere, other winners included Jesse Armstrong, who took home best Writer: Drama for Succession, while Jamie Demetriou scooped best Writer: Comedy for Stath Lets Flats. This Was Up creator Aisling Bea won the Breakthrough Talent gong. BBC and HBO drama His Dark Materials won in two categories: Special, Visual and Graphic Effects, and Titles and Graphic Identity.
The BAFTA TV Craft Awards was one of the industry’s first major awards ceremonies of the pandemic era. The event, which celebrated the best of British TV’s behind-the-scenes talent,...
- 7/17/2020
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
New members include filmmakers Lynne Ramsay, Haifaa al-Mansour, Fox Searchlight’s Kate Gardiner and Screen Scotland’s Isabel Davis.
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) has revealed its 2019 intake of new members drawn from the film, TV and games industry.
Among the record 558 new members are filmmakers and writers Haifaa al-Mansour (Wadjda), Laszlo Nemes (Son Of Saul), Lynne Ramsay (You Were Never Really Here), Lee Unkrich (Coco) and former Screen Star of Tomorrow Rose Glass (Saint Maud).
New executives on the list include Kate Gardiner (head of Fox Searchlight UK); Jason Maza (Unstoppable), Emma Hewitt (BBC Films...
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) has revealed its 2019 intake of new members drawn from the film, TV and games industry.
Among the record 558 new members are filmmakers and writers Haifaa al-Mansour (Wadjda), Laszlo Nemes (Son Of Saul), Lynne Ramsay (You Were Never Really Here), Lee Unkrich (Coco) and former Screen Star of Tomorrow Rose Glass (Saint Maud).
New executives on the list include Kate Gardiner (head of Fox Searchlight UK); Jason Maza (Unstoppable), Emma Hewitt (BBC Films...
- 12/4/2019
- by 1101184¦Orlando Parfitt¦38¦
- ScreenDaily
Robert Pattinson, Alicia Vikander, Himesh Patel Among Record Number of New BAFTA Members (Exclusive)
Robert Pattinson, Alicia Vikander, Sam Rockwell, Melissa McCarthy, Joanne Froggatt, Himesh Patel and Nicholas Hoult are among the record-setting 559 new members joining BAFTA in 2019, Variety can reveal.
The new class includes a number of recent BAFTA Award nominees, such as composer Nicholas Britell (“If Beale Street Could Talk”), director and producer “Arthur Cary” (“Grayson Perry: All Man”), and production designer Fiona Crombie and set decorator Alice Felton, who both won a BAFTA for their work on “The Favourite.”
The new members are drawn from a mix of individuals applying directly and those who were invited. In both cases they have to pass strict vetting and fulfill eligibility criteria. As well as film and TV, the new intake spans games. There are also numerous craft names in the mix, including special-effects expert Chris Lyons, whose recent work includes fashioning Rami Malek’s teeth for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury in “Bohemian Rhapsody.
The new class includes a number of recent BAFTA Award nominees, such as composer Nicholas Britell (“If Beale Street Could Talk”), director and producer “Arthur Cary” (“Grayson Perry: All Man”), and production designer Fiona Crombie and set decorator Alice Felton, who both won a BAFTA for their work on “The Favourite.”
The new members are drawn from a mix of individuals applying directly and those who were invited. In both cases they have to pass strict vetting and fulfill eligibility criteria. As well as film and TV, the new intake spans games. There are also numerous craft names in the mix, including special-effects expert Chris Lyons, whose recent work includes fashioning Rami Malek’s teeth for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury in “Bohemian Rhapsody.
- 12/4/2019
- by Stewart Clarke
- Variety Film + TV
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