Focal Awards shortlist revealed

The shortlist, which was compiled from a record 265 submissions from 24 countries, also includes Night Will Fall, a documentary about the making of the 1945 British government documentary German Concentration Camps Factual Survey.

The Focal Awards celebrate achievement in the use of stock and archival footage across 17 production categories.

The awards honour producers, filmmakers and other creative professionals who have used library footage in a documentary, feature film or any other form of production as well as those who preserve and restore content.

“With so many amazingly good submissions, our 50 strong panel of international jurors have had the unenviable job of viewing then agonising over which titles to shortlist,” said Focal’s Julie Lewis.

“Take the Best use of Footage in a History Production category; that jury had to whittle 43 submissions down to three finalists - it meant being downright brutal.

“We owe them all - our jurors, submitters and sponsors - a great debt of gratitude for their time and support for the footage industry.”

The Focal International Awards will take place on May 21 at the Lancaster London Hotel. The ceremony will be hosted by former BBC chief news reporter Kate Adie.

The shortlist:

Best Use of Footage in a History Production

Sponsored by Getty Images

• American Experience: Freedom Summer - Firelight Films / WGBH Educational Foundation (USA)
• Night Will Fall - Angel TV Ltd, Spring Films Ltd, Cinephil (UK)
• To Die for Warsaw - Point du Jour (France)

Best Use of Footage in a Factual Production

Sponsored by ITN Source

• Alfred and Jakobine - Start in Morocco Films Ltd (UK)
• American Experience: Last Days in Vietnam - Moxie Firecracker Films (USA)
• Night Will Fall - Angel TV Ltd, Spring Films Ltd, Cinephil (UK)

Best Use of Footage in an Arts Production

Sponsored by Bridgeman Footage

• Darcey’s Ballerina Heroines - Leopard Films (UK)
• Natan - Screenworks (Ireland)
• Regarding Susan Sontag - Question Why Films (USA)

Best Use of Sports Footage

Sponsored by ITV Sport Archive

• An Ordinary Hero - BT Sport (UK)
• Road - DoubleBand Films Ltd. (UK)
• Slaying the Badger - Passion Pictures (UK)

Best Use of Wildlife and Natural History Footage

Sponsored by Shutterstock

• Animal Fight Club Series 2 - Arrow Media (UK)
• ORBI: The Magic of Yellowstone - BBC Earth Productions (UK)
• The Pristine Coast - Juggernaut Pictures Inc. (Canada)

Best Use of Footage in a Cinema Release

Sponsored by British Pathe

• Night Will Fall - Angel TV Ltd, Spring Films Ltd, Cinephil (UK)
• Teenage - Cinereach (USA)
• The Decent One - Realworks (Israel)

Best Archive Restoration / Preservation Project

• Camera Obscura: The Walerian Borowczyk Collection - Arrow Films (France)
• Project Shirley: Restoring the films of Shirley Clarke - Milestone Film & Video (USA)
• The Noeggerath Collection - EYE Filmmuseum (Netherlands)

Footage Employee of the Year

Sponsored by Creative Skillset

• Sophia Gorton (ITN Source)
• Robin James (BBC Motion Gallery/Getty Images)
• Paul Mc Allister (Screenocean)
• Lucy Smee (AP Archive)