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Apple TV+ wins first BAFTA awards for its '9/11' and '1971' documentaries

By Daniel Petrov

Published: Apr 25, 2022, 10:10 AM

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After becoming the first streaming service to win no less than three Oscars, including one for Best Picture with its CODA movie, Apple TV+ is at it again, scooping up two BAFTA awards.

Apple boasted about its TV+ darling's achievement with a press release, saying that the "powerful documentary special '9/11: Inside the President’s War Room' earned the BAFTA TV Award for Editing: Factual, and the acclaimed music docuseries '1971: The Year Music Changed Everything' landed the BAFTA TV Award for Sound: Factual."

Editing: Factual – Danny Collins and Mark Hammill, "9/11: Inside the President’s War Room"

The documentary special “9/11: Inside the President's War Room” tells the story of 9/11 through the eyes of the presidency by gaining unprecedented access to the key decision makers who responded for the nation. Narrated by Emmy Award winner Jeff Daniels (“The Looming Tower,” “The Comey Rule”), “9/11: Inside the President's War Room” recounts the 12 hours after the strike on that momentous day, offering rare and unique insight into the dilemmas of decision-making against the clock, as those involved provide intimate, revealing and heartfelt details for the first time. The documentary special hails from an award-winning team including Grierson and Royal Television Society Award-winning director Adam Wishart (“Panorama”), Emmy Award-winning creative producer Simon Finch (“Inside North Korea's Dynasty”) and BAFTA Award-winning executive producer Neil Grant (“Panorama”). Head of production is Serena Kennedy (“Panorama”).

Sound: Factual – Stephen Griffiths, Andy Shelley, Nas Parkash, Dan Johnson, Tae Hak Kim and Claire Ellis, "1971: The Year Music Changed Everything"

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In a tumultuous era, 1971 was a year of musical innovation and rebirth fueled by the political and cultural upheaval of the time. Stars reached new heights, fresh talent exploded onto the scene and boundaries expanded like never before. The eight-part docuseries is executive produced by Academy, BAFTA and Grammy Award winners Asif Kapadia (“Amy,” “Senna”) and James Gay-Rees (“Amy,” “Senna,” “Exit Through the Gift Shop”).

While not exactly Best Picture or Oscar material, the editing and sound categories are important for a documentary that doesn't rely on actors' clout to get recognition or viewership. In any case, the awards could entice Apple TV+ subscribers to watch the two documentaries after Apple's Oscars win boosted subscriber numbers 25%.

The CODA movie co-production is actually a remake of the 2014 French-Belgian film La Famille Bélier that was filmed on location in the U.S., sharing a producer with the original movie. Apple snatched its distribution rights immediately after the world premiere on January 28, 2021, at the Sundance Film Festival, for a record for the event $25 million.

Apple has been paying exorbitant amounts for movie and TV series distribution or development since the inception of its TV+ streaming service, and the vision and investment of Apple's TV+ team finally paid off with this somewhat surprising Oscar winner and, now, with the two new BAFTA documentary awards.

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.