The Grierson Trust has announced the appointment of three new patrons, Dorothy Byrne, Asif Kapadia and Louis Theroux. They join the Trust’s existing patrons, Sir David Attenborough, Nick Broomfield, Christopher Hird, Kim Longinotto, Charlotte Moore, Norma Percy and Sir Grayson Perry.
Grierson Trust Patrons represent the Trust by lending their knowledge, influence and contacts to help bolster the charity’s work in fostering a strong, vibrant and diverse community of documentary filmmakers. This includes the Grierson DocLab programmes which provide industry-led training and mentoring opportunities for new entrants, along with reskilling and career development for freelancers, in partnership Prime Video, Netflix, The Rank Foundation, ScreenSkills and Banijay UK, together with 20 leading indies across the UK. The Trust also runs the annual British Documentary Awards – also known at the Griersons – celebrating excellence in documentary filmmaking and recognising the impactful work of filmmakers from the UK and across the globe.
Lorraine Heggessey, Chair of the Grierson Trust described the professional credentials of each of them: “Dorothy, Asif and Louis are all previous winners of the Grierson Trustees Award, recognised for their passion and commitment to creating documentaries of the highest standard which have changed the way we see the world around us. Asif has elevated the feature documentary genre, drawing millions of people in to watch films on the big screen around the world, Dorothy has fearlessly championed powerful, agenda-setting journalism and supported the careers of women within the industry, and Louis has reshaped the genre and encouraged and supported the next generation of documentary talent. We are thrilled to have them join as patrons of the Grierson Trust," explained.
Dorothy Byrne praised the institution: “Excellent documentary films about the UK and the world are vital for our society and democracy, but their existence is under constant threat. The Grierson Trust is in the forefront of ensuring major documentary films continue to be made and showcased by championing those who make them and nurturing diverse new talent. The prestigious Grierson Awards are the most important documentary awards in the UK. I am honoured to become a Patron," noted.
Meanswhile Asif Kapadia expressed gratitude for the opportunity: “It’s an absolute honour to be joining the Grierson Trust as a Patron. I have a long history with the Griersons – I studied John Grierson’s films while at film school, my film AMY won the Best Arts Documentary in 2016, and I’m proud to have received the Grierson Trustees Award in 2020. Over the years I’ve been on Grierson Award juries, given talks to young filmmakers, and graduates from the Grierson DocLab programmes have worked on my films. It’s always been important to me to give something back to industry and I hope that being a Patron will help inspire the next generation of documentary makers," stated.
Finally, Louis Theroux expressed his happiness to be one of the new Patrons: “I feel very honoured to be invited to become a Patron of the Grierson Trust. I am not by nature a ‘joiner’. But I have made an exception in this case because of the value I place on non-fiction storytelling, its reach and its special power, and because I would like to be part of involving a new generation in everything it has to offer. I became a documentary presenter by accident. Mainly it was thanks to other people believing in me and encouraging me. It was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Now I would like to pass that on," added.
Dorothy Byrne was Head of News and Current Affairs at Channel Four for 17 years and is now President of Murray Edwards College at Cambridge University while continuing executive produce international documentaries. She has been responsible for programmes which have had a national and global impact, winning numerous Royal Television Society, BAFTA and Emmy awards. Dorothy is a Fellow of the Royal Television Society, and won the Grierson Trustees Award, the Outstanding Contribution Award at the RTS Journalism Awards, a BAFTA Scotland Award winner for her Outstanding Contribution to Television, and was recognised with the Women in Film and Television Award for her contribution to television.
On the other hand, Asif Kapadia is an Academy Award, four-time BAFTA Award, Grammy Award, Grierson Award and European Film Award-winning director, writer and producer and is one of the most influential filmmakers of his generation. Known for visually striking films which often feature ‘outsiders’ fighting against a corrupt or broken system. He is best known for the acclaimed trilogy of films AMY (which had its world premiere in Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival and is the most successful theatrical British documentary of all time, winning the Academy Award, BAFTA, European, Grierson and Grammy awards for Best Documentary), "Senna" and "Diego Maradona". He was given the Grierson Trustees Award in 2020.
FInally, Louis Theroux is a genre-defining documentary presenter, best known for creating and fronting deeply immersive programmes that delve into the intricate and often contentious facets of human existence. These include his BAFTA-winning series Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends and When Louis Met…, a series of award-winning specials like The Most Hated Family in America, Miami Mega Jail and Altered States and the feature-length documentary, My Scientology Movie. Louis has won numerous awards, including three BAFTAs, an RTS award, and the Grierson Trustees Award, and in 2019 he set up his own independent television production company, Mindhouse, alongside Arron Fellows and Nancy Strang.