The Grierson Trust has announced the two recipients of the Grierson-Percy Documentary Grant for UK-based independent documentary filmmakers and production companies – made possible by a generous donation from Grierson Trust patron Norma Percy.

The grant contributes towards essential finishing costs for projects focused on political or international subjects, delivering riveting stories and new and surprising insights, and which are in the final stages of production. The recipients were selected by a dedicated committee composed of Grierson Trust team and trustees, Norma Percy, and a number of her long-time collaborators.

About the films:

I Want to Kill My Grandfather follows filmmaker Lilyana Torres, as she sets out to confront her grandfather in Tamaulipas, Mexico following the revelation that he hired hitmen to nearly kill her father. While hoping to force an apology, she also begins planning how she might murder him, using darkly comic fictional reenactments as she trains for revenge. Exploring what motivated a parent to put their own child’s life at risk through interviews and surveillance footage, the documentary uncovers how private resentment became criminal violence amid Tamaulipas’s drug war. I Want to Kill My Grandfather is a Misfits Entertainment production. The director is Lilyana Torres, Carlos Morales is co-director, and the producers are Lizzie Gillett and Gabriel Stavenhagen.

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, rock band Okean Elzy frontman Slava Vakarchuk embarked on a global tour using music to champion Ukrainian culture and sustain the morale of refugees worldwide. Shooting with Music traces Okean Elzy's 30-year journey from the birth of an independent Ukraine to becoming the soundtrack of every major pro-democracy movement. Shooting with Music is a Frith Street Films production. The directors are Jacqui Morris and David Morris, and the producer is Archie Kidd.

Sylvia Bednarz, Managing Director of the Grierson Trust said: “The Grierson-Percy Documentary Grant was established to provide additional financing to help filmmakers bring bold storytelling to audiences. We were blown away by the breadth and variety of projects submitted, and by the ambition and creativity of the filmmakers. These two recipients stood out for their commitment to tackling important contemporary issues through a different lens. The Trust is hugely grateful to Norma Percy for her incredibly generous donation and for being so actively involved in the selection process. Her support is an invaluable investment in the next generation of documentary filmmakers and in the future of bold, original documentary storytelling.”

Norma Percy said: “I’m delighted to support these two projects. In my more than half a century in TV, even with what began as fully funded projects there have been times when I faced the possibility of not being able to take advantage of a key interviewee who was late to agree to be filmed or an important development to the story that occurred after the budget ran out. I wanted to use my untouched pension to help fellow filmmakers in this position.

"These two films fit the bill. I Want to Kill My Grandfather took a familiar problem and told it in an original and surprising way. It uses Lilyana's personal story, brilliantly told, to pull apart how the violence of the "War on Drugs" infects families and is passed down through the generations. Shooting with Music took our biggest international crisis and looked at it through an unconventional lens using the device of a pop concert to teach the political and culture history of Ukraine in a genuinely enjoyable way. By the end the viewer, almost without knowing, learned a great deal. Both films epitomise something important I learnt from Brian Lapping – the best way to get across a serious or complicated point is to amuse or surprise the viewer into paying attention. It is wonderful to help make these excellent films fulfil their filmmakers' ambitions."

Lizzie Gillett, producer, I Want to Kill my Grandfather added: “This grant has come at a crucial time and will allow us to finish I Want to Kill My Grandfather, our new feature doc which we love because its quirky, original, and entertaining with a unique blend of satire and politics.”

Jacqui Morris and David Morris, the directors of Shooting with Music added: “We are deeply grateful to the Grierson Trust for this grant. At a time when Ukraine’s struggle to defend its identity, culture and future continues, it matters that these stories reach audiences far beyond its borders.”