With ‘The Black Cop’ BAFTA Win, Guardian Documentaries Builds on Momentum as Short Films Competition Heats Up
variety.comAddie Morfoot ContributorSince the launch of Guardian Documentaries in 2016, the short film division of the British daily newspaper has garnered an Oscar and a BAFTA over the past two consecutive years, scoring the best British short film trophy for Cherish Oteka’s “The Black Cop” on March 13.About Gamal “G” Turawa, a Black gay man who joined the London police department to help change its racial make-up, “The Black Cop” explores Turawa’s memories of homophobia, racial profiling, and harassment.
Commissioned by Guardian Documentaries, the doc received additional funds from the BFI Doc Society Fund.“Guardian Documentaries compliment Guardian journalism,” says Lindsay Poulton, head of Guardian Documentaries. “I felt that Cherish’s initial proposal expressed urgent themes in a creative way.
We were reflecting on the Black Lives Matter movement; on the push for LGBTQ+ equality; we knew there were a lot of important, uncomfortable conversations to be had about policing and abuse of power.
So, these were all themes that were editorially very relevant to us.” Since its inception Guardian Documentaries has released approximately 80 nonfiction shorts on Guardian’s website.
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