Channel 4-backed docs and Iron Lady nominated for 2012 Oscars

24 January 2012

Hell and Back Again

 

Two documentaries funded by Channel 4 have been nominated for Academy Awards. The 2012 Academy Awards will take place on 26 February 2012 in Los Angeles.

Hell and Back Again, which cuts back and forth between the Marines battling the Taliban in southern Afghanistan and Sergeant Nathan Harris in recovery at home following a severe injury, has been nominated for Best Documentary Feature while Saving Face, about Dr. Jawad, a British-Pakistani plastic surgeon works to help women who have been injured in acid attacks, has been nominated for Best Documentary Short.

Both were commissioned by Anna Miralis as part of the acclaimed feature-length documentary strand True Stories, who said: "We are thrilled that British documentary film-making talent, which is world-class, is continuing to gain such recognition. Channel 4 is delighted to continue to support and nurture documentaries."

British production Hell and Back Again was funded by BRITDOC and broadcast on More4. It premiered at Sundance and generated world-wide acclaim. Hell and Back Again was released on DVD by Independent Distribution on 23 January 2012. Saving Face is majority funded by HBO. A feature-length version of Saving Face will be broadcast on Channel 4 later this year.

Film4-backed The Iron Lady is also up for two Oscars, with a Best Actress nomination for Meryl Streep for her uncanny portrayal of Margaret Thatcher, and for Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland in the Make-Up category.