The shortlist for the annual Focal International Awards has been announced.

The Awards honour producers, filmmakers and other creative professionals who have used library footage in a documentary or feature film.

The ceremony takes place on April 30 in London.

Best Use of Footage in a History Production

  • 9/11 Firehouse - Testimony Films (UK)
  • Before The Revolution - Heymann Brothers Films (Israel)
  • Silent Balkans - Anemon Productions (Greece)

Best Use of Footage in a Current Affairs Production

  • Das Auto: The Germans, Their Cars and Us - BBC Current Affairs (UK)
  • The Disappeared - Erica Starling Productions (UK)
  • We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks - Universal Pictures (USA)

Best Use of Footage in a Factual Production

  • Arctic Defenders - John Walker Productions Ltd. and Unikkaat Studios Inc. (Canada)
  • New Life Of Family Album - Evolution Films, s.r.o. (Czech Republic)
  • Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia - Amnesia Productions (USA)

Best Use of Footage in an Entertainment Production

  • Goodbye Granadaland - ITV Entertainment / Shiver for ITV (UK)
  • Quality Balls - The David Steinberg Story - The Nightingale Company (Canada)
  • The Coronation Year in Colour - ITN Productions (UK)

Best Use of Footage in an Arts Production

  • Arena: The National Theatre - War and Peace - Lone Star Productions (UK)
  • Bertolucci on Bertolucci - Frenesy Film Company in association with Kimerafilm (Italy)
  • The Disney of Duivendrecht, a businessman’s idea of an artist - NGN Produkties (The Netherlands)

Best Use of Music Performance Footage

  • Blues America - Woke Up This Morning - BBC Music TV (UK)
  • David Bowie - Five Years - BBC Events Production (UK)
  • Rock ‘n’ Roll Britannia - BBC Music TV (UK)

Best Use of Sports Footage

  • Hunt Vs Lauda: F1’s Greatest Racing Rivals - Lion Television/All3 Media, a co-production with ORF (UK/AUSTRIA)
  • The Battle of the Sexes - New Black Films (UK)
  • The Trials of Muhammad Ali - Kartemquin Films & Kat White (USA)

Best Use of Footage in an Advert or Short Production

  • A Film Never Made - Alchemy Films in association with University of Wisconsin (UK/USA)
  • Citi 200 - Tern TV (UK)
  • Heroes Return, Ray Wilton’s Story - Electric Robin / Initial (for the National Lottery Draw Shows) (UK)

Best Use of Wildlife and Natural History Footage

  • Edward VIII: The Lion King - Tigress Productions (UK)
  • Edwardian Insects on Film - Mentorn Media (UK)
  • Wild Cameramen at Work - BBC Scotland (UK)

Best Use of Footage on Digital or non-Television Platforms

  • Inform Educate Entertain(CD) - Test Card Recordings Ltd / Jacamar Publishing Ltd (UK)
  • Makers (website & TV initiative) - Kunhardt McGee Productions (USA)
  • Timeline WW2 with Dan Snow (app) - Ballista Media (UK)

Best Use of Footage in a Home Entertainment Release

  • Britain’s Railways - The Home Front War Years - Strike Force Entertainment Ltd (UK)
  • Railways at War - Strike Force Entertainment Ltd (UK)
  • Public Information Films of the British Home Front - Strike Force Entertainment Ltd, (UK)

Best Use of Footage in a Cinema Release

  • Fire in the Night - STV Productions/Berriff McGinty Films (UK)
  • McCullin - Frith Street Films Ltd and British Film Company (UK)
  • My Fathers, My Mother and Me (Meine keine Familie) - FreibeuterFilm (Austria)

Best Archive Restoration / Preservation Title

  • Beauty and The Beast (Jean Cocteau’s La Belle Et La Bete) (1946) - SNC (Groupe M6) and the Cinémathèque Française, with the support of the Franco-American Cultural Fund (France) Restoration / Preservation work by: Daems, Éclair and Le Diapason. Restoration supervision: Filmo for SNC
  • Manila in the Claws of Light (Maynila Sa Mga Kuko Ng Liwanag) (1975) - The Film Foundation/World Cinema Project and the Film Development Council of the Philippines (Philippines). Restoration works carried out at: Cineteca di Bologna / L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory, in association with LVN, Cinema Artists Philippines and Mike de Leon
  • The Epic of Everest (1924) - BFI (UK) - Restoration / Preservation work by: BFI and Deluxe Restoration

Best Archive Restoration / Preservation Project

  • AP Archive Digitisation - AP Archive, (UK) Restoration / Preservation Work by: Prime Focus Technologies.
  • Charlie Chaplin - The Essanay/Mutual Project- Cineteca di Bologna (Italy) Restored by Cineteca di Bologna at L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory, in collaboration with Lobster Films and Film Preservation Associates and under the aegis of the Association Chaplin
  • Sound and Vision Treasures - Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision, (Netherlands) Restoration / Preservation Work by: Deluxe Restoration.

The Jane Mercer Footage Researcher of the Year Award

  • Elspeth Domville and Elizabeth Klinck(Canada) - Our Man in Tehran
  • Javier Botero (USA) - We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks
  • John Smith (UK) - Brushing Up On …; Morecambe and Wise: The Whole Story; The Class of 92

Footage Employee of the Year

  • Jennifer M. Baird (CTV News / Bell Media)
  • Jenny Hammerton (AP Archive)
  • Wayne Lovell (FremantleMedia Archive)

Footage Library of the Year

  • AP Archive
  • Footage Farm
  • Huntley Film Archives

The Lifetime Achievement Award

  • Vladimir Opela, the curator of the Czech National Film Archive and the driving force behind UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage




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