Keo Films will be hoping its BBC2 series Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland can replicate the success of its Iraq-themed predecessor at the Griersons after picking up two nominations in this year's awards.
The five-part series is in the running for both Best History Documentary and Best Documentary Series in this year’s awards. The indie won in both categories for Once Upon a Time in Iraq in 2001.
In History, Keo faces competition from Lightbox’s Sky/HBO Lady Diana documentary The Princess, BBC doc Nelly & Nadine (Auto Images/Associate Directors/UpNorth Film) and Oxford Scientific Films’ BBC2 three-parter Murder in the Pacific.
The Documentary Series shortlist also features Raw TV’s BBC2 five-parter Parole and two Sky commissions: Candour Productions’ three-part series Libby, Are You Home Yet? and Blast! Films’ docu-drama Dublin Narcos.
Keo has a third nomination, in the Best Natural History or Environmental Documentary category, for Chimp Empire - Paradise, a co-production with Underdog Films for Netflix.
Lewis Capaldi: How I'm Feeling Now
Elsewhere, Pulse Films has scored two nominations in the Best Single Documentary – Domestic category: Netflix’s Lewis Capaldi: How I’m Feeling Now (a co-production with Quickfire Films) and BFI Doc Society-backed theatrical release Name Me Lawand.
The singles are up against two Channel 4 docs: Frank Films’ A Paedophile in my Family: Surviving Dad and TG4/HiddenLight’s Lyra.
Cinema releases A Bunch of Amateurs and Nothing Compares each bagged two nominations.
A Bunch of Amateurs
The former, Labour of Love Films’ BBC-backed feature about one of Britain’s oldest amateur film clubs, is nominated for Best Entertaining Documentary, opposite National Geographic’s Fire of Love, Sikhya Entertainment’s Netflix film The Elephant Whisperers, and South Shore’s ITV doc Life After Deaf – John & Joe Bishop.
A Bunch of Amateurs and Nothing Compares, Tara Films/Ard Mhacha Productions’ profile of the late Sinead O’Connor, in the running for Best Cinema Documentary alongside Lofty Sky Enterttainment’s Mandarin-language animated release Eternal Spring, Rise Films/Kiterabbit Films/Tangled Bank Studios’ All That Breathes.
Nothing Compares
Nothing Compares is also up for Best Music Documentary, alongside Live Nation/Public Road Productions’ David Bowie collage movie Moonage Daydream, Bungalow Media+Entertainment’s cinema release Little Richard: I Am Everything, and BBC Studios’ BBC2 series Fight the Power: How Hip-Hop Changed the World.
The Grierson Awards will take place on 9 November. See the full list of nominations here
