Since 2004 FOCAL International Awards competition is dedicated to the promotion and celebration of archival footage and its contribution to the creative and cultural industries. We congratulate all the past winners.
Best Use of Footage in a Sports Production
2022 Winner
Muhammad Ali
Director:
Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon
Producer(s):
Sarah Burns, David McMahon, Stephanie Jenkins, Ken Burns
Footage Archive Producer:
Stephanie Jenkins
Archival Sources:
ESPN, Top Rank, BBC & BBC Sport (via Getty Images), NBC News (via Getty Images), AP
Production Company:
Florentine Films
Country of Production:
United States
Synopsis
Muhammad Ali brings to life one of the best-known and most indelible figures of the 20th century, a three-time heavyweight boxing champion who captivated millions of fans with his mesmerizing combination of speed, grace, and power in the ring, and charm and playful boasting outside of it. Ali insisted on being himself unconditionally and became a global icon and inspiration to people everywhere.
Shortlisted
Queen of Speed
Director:
Barbie MacLaurin
Producer(s):
Andy Holland
Footage Archive Producer:
Jo Stones
Archival Sources:
Helmut Deimel, INA, ZDF, BP Video Library, Smoke and Rubber
Production Company:
Sky Studios, Drum Studios
Country of Production:
United Kingdom
Synopsis
Queen of Speed tells the story of Michèle Mouton, the most successful female rally driver of all time. It is a biographical and historical documentary set predominantly in the 1970s and 80s and centres on the rallying world.
From the roads of Monte Carlo to the deserts of Africa and the Rocky Mountains in the USA, Michèle Mouton defied the odds as she broke her way into the world of motorsport at a time when rallying was at its fastest and most dangerous. She made history as the first and only woman to win rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship and the last woman to compete in top-level rallying, cementing her reputation as one of the greatest motorsport drivers of all time.
Directed by award-winning Barbie MacLaurin, and produced by Drum Studios, Queen of Speed is driven by compelling interviews with Michèle, her co-driver, her family, her teammates and her rivals. Featuring spectacular footage of some of the most dangerous races on earth, as well as previously unseen cinematic archive shot by an embedded cameraman who captured the behind-the-scenes politics and pressures facing Michèle, this film takes viewers on a white-knuckle ride through this exciting time in sporting history.
Dettori is the story of the dramatic and emotional life of superstar jockey, Frankie Dettori. Far more than a simple sports story, the film covers the rollercoaster career of racings undoubted rock star. Underpinning the film is an extraordinary love/hate relationship between father and son. Burdened with massive expectations and packed off from his native Italy to England on his own at 14, Dettori overcame numerous hurdles to become Champion Jockey, leading to huge success, but trouble lay ahead in the form of a brush with death in a plane crash, fall outs and sackings and a drugs ban. Written off at 42, Dettori has fought back to enjoy a wonderful Indian summer to his career and at 51, remains at the very top of the jockey tree. The film is driven by the most charismatic, open and emotional central character; truly a documentarian's dream. Sports documentaries can be bland and formulaic but with Dettori as the subject that was never a danger. The appeal of the film stretches far beyond the core racing audience. It is packed full of universal themes, rich and colourful characters and illustrated by the stunning visuals that racing invariably delivers.
SEVE; Artist, Fighter, Legend
Director:
David White, Joss Holmes
Producer(s):
Malcolm Booth, Danny Fenton, Matt Graff, Caroline Rowland
Footage Archive Producer:
Denis Karam, Mark Harrowell
Archival Sources:
The R&A, CBS, ITV Sport, N.F.S.A, IMG
Production Company:
Zig Zag Productions, Rakuten TV, R&A, Egoli and North Ridge Films
Country of Production:
United Kingdom
Synopsis
SEVE was an artist, a golfing Picasso, a fighter, against injury, his rivals and cancer. He remains a LEGEND. This is his story told by those closest to him, sporting greats and in his own words via newly unearthed material.
The film covers everything from his humble beginnings in Pedreña to his major championship successes and revolutionary Ryder Cup moments.
Muhammad Ali
Director:
Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon
Producer(s):
Sarah Burns, David McMahon, Stephanie Jenkins, Ken Burns
Footage Archive Producer:
Stephanie Jenkins
Archival Sources:
ESPN, Top Rank, BBC & BBC Sport (via Getty Images), NBC News (via Getty Images), AP
Production Company:
Florentine Films
Country of Production:
United States
Synopsis
Muhammad Ali brings to life one of the best-known and most indelible figures of the 20th century, a three-time heavyweight boxing champion who captivated millions of fans with his mesmerizing combination of speed, grace, and power in the ring, and charm and playful boasting outside of it. Ali insisted on being himself unconditionally and became a global icon and inspiration to people everywhere.
Citizen Ashe
Director:
Rex Miller, Sam Pollard
Producer(s):
Steven Cantor, Anna Godas, Beth Hubbard, Rex Miller, Jamie Schutz
Footage Archive Producer:
Lizzy McGlynn, Hannah Shepard
Archival Sources:
John G. Zimmerman Archive, CBS/Veritone, Getty Images, USTA/Veritone, IMG/Wimbledon
Directors Rex Miller and Sam Pollard explore the enduring legacy of tennis great and humanitarian Arthur Ashe, tracing his personal evolution from sports legend to global activist. His own words, and those closest to him, reveal his quiet determination to ‘use what he had to do what he could.’
