Films in Documentary Competition
The Grierson Award recognises films with integrity, originality, and social or cultural significance.
Documentary Competition supported by
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Cold Case Hammarskjöld
Dir-Scr Mads Brügger | Denmark-Norway-Sweden-Belgium
This wild, stranger-than-fiction documentary depicts the most disturbing true-crime investigation you’re likely to have seen in recent years.
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Coup 53
Dir Taghi Amirani | UK-Iran-USA
Award-winning director Taghi Amirani’s decade-long investigation into the 1953 CIA/MI6-led coup that overthrew Iran’s democratic Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh is a captivating tour-de-force.
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Cunningham
Dir Alla Kovgan | Germany-France-USA
This eye-popping 3D portrait of great American choreographer Merce Cunningham celebrates the centenary of his birth.
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I Am (Not) a Monster
Dir Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian | UK
In this thought-provoking and playful documentary, ebullient director Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian (Disaster Playground) takes you on a journey to find the origins of knowledge.
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The Kingmaker
Dir Lauren Greenfield | USA
The matriarch of the Marcos dynasty hopes to see her maternal delusions validated and political power restored, while Philippine activists fight for transparency and democracy.
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Mystify: Michael Hutchence
Dir-Scr Richard Lowenstein | Australia
Capturing his rise to super-stardom and subsequent tragic fall, Mystify gives remarkable insight into INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence and a truth he took to the grave.
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Overseas
Dir-Scr Sung-A Yoon | Belgium-France
Each year, hundreds of thousands of Filipino women train to become domestic workers abroad. This quietly gripping and often startling documentary shows us how.
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A Pleasure, Comrades!
Dir-Scr José Filipe Costa | Portugal
The lingering illiteracy, patriarchal power relations and sexual taboos of post-dictatorship Portugal are laid bare in this humorous and sex-positive docudrama with a feminist soul.
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White Riot
Dir Rubika Shah | UK
Revolution rock! Rubika Shah’s vital documentary profiles punky reggae protest movement Rock Against Racism, from grassroots beginnings through to a major multicultural event.