Huge congratulations to Stern & Wild filmmaker @marcuslivdirector and the whole team behind the brilliant BRICKS ON TRACK: BUILDING THE LEGO F1 DRIVERS’ PARADE on winning a prestigious Gold Pencil at this year’s New York-based @theoneshowawards . The Branded Entertainment: Brand Partnerships category win is the second award from the advertising world for documentary special BRICKS ON TRACK, following a Silver Arrow win at the recent British Arrows. The documentary special, which follows a secret mission to build 10 full-size LEGO Formula 1 cars for the Miami Grand Prix, was commissioned by the @lego Group in partnership with @f1 . It is directed by Marcus and produced by the brilliant team at @wearejustso . The One Show Awards are among the most prestigious international prizes in advertising and design, and are presented during Creative Week in New York, a week-long global festival from The One Club for Creativity. We are incredibly proud of Marcus. A massive well done to him and to the talented teams at JustSo and the LEGO Group. @omnibot @leobirch @ciaranobriendop @a.wyles @freemankuflik #brandedentertainment #brandedcontent #legof1

More exciting news this week for Stern & Wild filmmaker Duncan Singh, one of the team behind the much-anticipated prehistory docuseries SURVIVING EARTH which is set to premiere on NBC next month. The ambitious eight-part series blends location filming from 12 countries with cutting-edge CGI and VFX as it explores how life not only survived but thrived through Earth’s most significant extinction level events and prehistoric cataclysms, turning disaster into opportunity and mass extinctions into engines of evolution. It is produced by Universal Television Alternative Studio and UK indie Loud Minds (WALKING WITH DINOSAURS), with Oscar-winning UK effects studio @milkvfx (EX MACHINA, THE MARTIAN) creating the spectacular digital environments, landscapes and creatures that bring the series to life. Duncan directed two of the show’s episodes, partnering with Milk and a team of hundreds of VFX specialists to shoot in remote, dangerous and beautiful locations across Argentina, Brazil, Canada and Scotland to mimic the landscape of the Earth millions of years ago, and to deliver the production’s feature-film level creature CGI. SURVIVING EARTH premieres on Thursday, 11 June at 8.00pm ET/PT on NBC, with new episodes streaming the following day on Peacock. It is expected to be available in the UK on Sky and its streaming service NOW later this summer.

A must-watch for true-crime fans! Stern & Wild filmmaker Gareth Johnson’s gripping new documentary THE CRASH drops on Netflix tomorrow, 15 May. The feature length true-crime doc is an unmissable deep dive into the notorious case surrounding Ohio teenager Mackenzie Shirilla, who in 2022, crashed her car into a brick wall, killing her boyfriend and his best friend. With some truly jaw-dropping revelations, the film unpacks the shifting narratives surrounding the fateful event to ask: where does a tragic mistake end and cold-blooded murder begin? A RAW production for Netflix, the film is helmed by award-winning director Gareth - @gareth.johnson101 - whose 2024 true-crime docuseries THE BODY NEXT DOOR (RAW for Sky Documentaries) is one of Sky’s all-time most-watched documentaries. It is produced by RAW’s Rebecca North and exec produced by Jonny Taylor. #TheCrash #Netflix #TrueCrime #Documentary #netflixfilms

Exciting news for Stern & Wild filmmakers @_fredhepburn and Duncan Singh whose major new @streamoncnn Original Series exploring the history of America’s expansion is set to launch Sunday, 7 June. Timed to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary, THIS LAND explores how the United States grew from a fragile experiment along the Atlantic coast into a nation spanning an entire continent. Over six episodes it examines how ambition, conflict and power redrew the country’s map and traces the impact of key territorial shifts on the nation’s history including the Louisiana Purchase, the westward push to California and the contest over Texas. The six-part series is produced by @octoberfilms_ . Fred is Executive Producer and Showrunner on the series, while Duncan is Co-Executive Producer and directed two of the episodes. The series aims to offer viewers a fresh perspective on America’s story and connect the present to the past by featuring living descendants of key figures involved in these pivotal moments from explorers and politicians to Indigenous leaders and immigrant labourers. It is sponsored by genealogy platform Ancestry which supported the production to locate many of the descendants seen on screen. The series launches on CNN on Sunday, 7 June at 9pm ET/PT, airing two episodes weekly each Sunday.

Shout out to Stern & Wild filmmakers batten78 and Jamie Seal whose gritty new docuseries MAJOR CRIMES UNIT launches on Channel 5 tonight. Featuring three 90-min episodes, the series shines a spotlight on the work of West Midlands Police’s Major Crimes Unit, an elite crime-fighting team set up to tackle serious offences including attempted murder, firearms offences, kidnapping and County Lines drug dealing. Covering real-life high-stakes investigations, it follows the team as they track suspects, uncover the truth and deliver justice for victims and their families. Tonight’s episode kicks off in dramatic fashion when the team is called in after a gang ambush five men in a car in the middle of the night and a gun is fired at point blank range into the vehicle. The series is a Raw Cut production for Channel 5. Jamie Batten is Series Producer and Jamie Seal is Series Edit Producer. The first episode airs on Channel 5 at 9.00pm tonight, with the next two episodes screening weekly on Monday at the same time. The series will be available to stream on My5 after the first broadcast.

We are thrilled for Stern & Wild filmmaker Sebastian Smith whose gripping true-crime documentary series GIRL ON THE RUN: THE HUNT FOR AMERICA’S MOST WANTED WOMAN has been nominated for the TV: Outstanding Docuseries prize at this year’s @crimecon CLUE Awards. Directed by the multi-talented Sebastian, the three-part series tells the extraordinary story of convicted murderer Sarah Pender, who in 2000 was sentenced to over 100 years in prison for her role in the killings of her two roommates by her former boyfriend. In 2008, with the help of a prison guard and former cellmate, Pender escaped from her maximum-security prison sparking a months-long nationwide manhunt that captivated the American public. It is produced for Hulu/Disney+ by UK indie plumpicturesltd and ABC News Studios. Winners of the CLUE Awards will be announced on Saturday, 30 May at Las Vegas’ Caesars Palace as part of the three-day CrimeCon convention. To see all the nominees, copy and paste this link: /nominees

Huge congratulations to Stern & Wild filmmakers @kipperfilms and @benedict.sanderson and the entire team behind the harrowing two-part documentary SEE NO EVIL, winner of the BAFTA Television Award for best Factual Series. Produced by @passionpicturesfilms for Channel 4, the powerful production details the decades of abuse by former barrister and evangelical leader John Smyth and the subsequent cover-up by senior leaders within the Church of England and other institutions. Described by Series Director Benedict as “part horror film, part investigative thriller, part family drama,” the film investigates how Smyth was able to evade responsibility for abusing over 100 boys and young men at his home and the Christian summer camps he ran for so long, the fight to bring him to justice, and how the scandal eventually led to the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury. It includes searing testimony from some of Smyth’s victims including his own children and features the first ever interview with his wife of 50 years. Kira is Executive Producer. We are absolutely thrilled for the whole team behind this project – shout out to the doc’s other Executive Producer, Hamish Fergusson – and to all the winners and nominees at last night’s Awards. It was a fantastic evening.

Two fantastic projects from Stern & Wild clients have been shortlisted for this year’s @ccrealtv Awards. Congratulations to @benjytobyjessy , @gsectionian and @dir_by_tombeard . We are delighted for Ben Jessop and Ian Denyer whose second season of the hit food travel show TUCCI IN ITALY is nominated in three categories. The five-part series, which sees THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA star Stanley Tucci explore the link between Italy's historical landscape and its culinary traditions, is shortlisted for both Best Culinary Show and Best Travel/Adventure Show while Tucci himself is in the running for Best Male Star of the Year. A Real TV Award winner in 2025, the series is a BBC Studios Specialist Factual Productions and Salt Productions for Nat Geo. Ben is Showrunner and Co-Exec Producer, while Ian is one of the show’s two Directors. We are thrilled too for Tom Beard whose haunting docuseries NAMING THE DEAD is nominated in the Best Crime/Justice Show category. The six-part series follows the groundbreaking work of the US-based DNA Doe Project, a nonprofit organisation that uses forensic genetic genealogy to identify and seek justice for some of the estimated 50,000 unidentified "Jane and John Doe" bodies in the United States. The series is a Wall to Wall production for Nat Geo. Series Director Tom worked for almost two years on this ambitious production creating the series’ style, tone and look. Fingers crossed for our super-talented filmmakers and all of the teams behind these amazing projects. Now in their eighth year, the Real TV Awards recognize excellence in non-fiction, unscripted and reality programming across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. Winners will be announced online at CriticsChoice.com on Wednesday, 3 June.

We are thrilled to report that Stern & Wild filmmaker @alexthomasfilms has been announced as the Guest Mentor for this year’s expanded @sheffdocfest Filmmaker Challenge, following in the footsteps of world-renowned filmmakers Asif Kapadia, Waad Al-Kateab and Kevin Macdonald. One of the highlights of the DocFest programme, the Filmmaker Challenge is a career development scheme offering emerging filmmakers the chance to each make a three-minute non-fiction film on the fly in response to the festival’s annual theme. BAFTA Breakthrough and double Grierson Award-winning director Alex said: "I’m really honoured to be part of this year’s Filmmaker Challenge. These kinds of opportunities, where emerging filmmakers are challenged to respond quickly, creatively, and with urgency, remind me of how I started, and of the many moments in our lives and careers when we’ve had to do the same. I’m looking forward to supporting each filmmaker as they shape their stories, and to learning from their perspectives too." Alex’s recent directing credits include last year’s landmark three-part documentary series, the Grierson, RTS and Broadcast award-winning BIBAA & NICOLE: MURDER IN THE PARK (True Vision TV for Sky Documentaries) and the 2024 Emmy-nominated four-part series ERASED: WW2’s HEROES OF COLOUR (October Films and 22Summers for Nat Geo/Disney+). He is currently directing a feature documentary for the BBC on the life and legacy of murdered schoolboy Damilola Taylor, featuring John Boyega. "Coming back to Sheffield as a mentor feels like a real full-circle moment for me,” he said. “I grew up just down the road in Swinton, and I know first-hand how much untapped talent exists outside of London. This challenge is about backing those voices – giving filmmakers the confidence, space and support to tell stories that matter. I’m excited to be part of that journey.” The finished documentaries will be presented at a public screening at the festival on Saturday 13 June. #SheffDocFest2026 I

We are thrilled to report four projects from Stern & Wild filmmakers are receiving UK or world premieres at this year’s @sheffdocfest which runs 10 - 15 June. Congratulations to Nick Hardie, Katie Hindley, Derren Lawford and Dan Vernon. Two feature projects directed by Stern & Wild clients are screening on Saturday 13 June. Receiving its world premiere at 1.15pm is @nhardie1 ’s SKYCLIMBER – SCALING THE EIFFEL TOWER which explores the story of UK urban climber Adam Lockwood who illegally climbed the Eiffel Tower in Paris in August 2025. It is produced by Oxford Scientific Films. Following its successful international debut at CPH:DOX in March, @danvfilms ' THE SALISBURY POISONINGS: A SPY NEXT DOOR makes its UK premiere at 6.00pm. The film explores how a chemical poisoning in Salisbury in 2018 exploded into an international showdown, revealing the escalating shadow conflict between Russia and the West. It is a Passion Pictures production for CNN Films in association with Propagate Content and West Buttermilk. The day before, on Friday 12 June, fest-goers can catch a sneak peak of newly announced three-part series THE LIE THAT EXPOSED THE TRUTH (Sandpaper Films and Full Story Films for Sky Documentaries) which examines the truth behind the national prevalence of grooming gangs in the UK. It is directed by Ceri Isfryn and Stern & Wild’s @k_hindley . The first episode will screen one-time only as part of the First Impressions slot at 3.45pm. The final Stern & Wild client project at Sheffield DocFest this year is the feature documentary MKO a Nigeria-UK-Canada-USA co-production which examines the cover-up behind the suspicious death in prison of Moshood Abiola, who won a landslide victory in the 1993 Nigerian general election that the military swiftly annulled. It is directed by Ose Oyamendan and exec produced by Stern & Wild filmmaker Derren Lawford. Its world premiere screening takes place on 12 June at 8.45pm. Remember there’s more than one chance to see all of the feature docs. For tickets and the full screening timetable, copy and paste this link: /schedule?date=2026-06-06

Huge congratulations to @jessdannheisser , composer of the wonderful score for @tobytrackman ’s feature documentary THE LAST MUSICIAN OF AUSCHWITZ, on winning the best Original Music: Factual prize at Sunday’s @bafta Television Craft Awards. Directed by Grierson-winning Stern & Wild filmmaker Toby, THE LAST MUSICIAN OF AUSCHWITZ was commissioned by the BBC to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. It was first broadcast on BBC Two to mark Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January 2025. Described as “breathtaking” by the Daily Telegraph and “utterly unforgettable” by The Times, it was listed by The Guardian among the best TV of the year in 2025. Jessica’s winning nomination was one of two nods for Toby’s film at the Awards which was also shortlisted for a BAFTA for best Sound: Factual (@tristanpowellaudio , Will Chapman). She is one of the hugely talented team put together by Toby to create this extraordinary work. Alongside music supervisors @annebooty @joerice2021 , she won Best Original Composition in a Feature-Length Documentary at the 2025 Music + Sound Awards, while production designer @jpgdesign and set decorator @bobbysprops won a Best Production Design award for the film at this year’s British Film Designers Guild Awards. We are delighted for Toby, Jessica and the whole team behind this profound film. It truly is a remarkable piece of work. @lastmusicianofauschwitz @tworiversmedialtd @bbciplayer

Shout out to Stern & Wild filmmaker Helen Nixon - @nixonaction - whose heart-rending two-part ITV special LONG LOST FAMILY: THE MOTHER AND BABY HOME SCANDAL has been shortlisted for the Radio Times Readers’ Award at this year’s Sandford St Martin Awards. To vote, copy and paste this link: https://ow.ly/mR9Y50YLi6I Directed by Helen and presented by Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell, the documentary investigates the mother and baby homes run by Christian denominations operating in England from the 1940s to the 70s and the traumatic treatment of the unmarried women and girls who were placed there and whose children were forcibly adopted. The production follows the stories of three people with connections to the homes as they track down their relatives and explores the campaign to get the British government, which funded many of the homes, to apologise to those affected. It was first broadcast on ITV1 on 3 September last year. This month, Children and Families Minister Josh MacAlister said that the case for a formal apology was ‘being actively considered’ by the government, while the Church of England has announced it will issue a formal apology for its role in forced adoptions. In 2016, the then Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, apologised for the ‘hurt caused’ by adoption agencies acting in the name of the Catholic Church, while the Scottish and Welsh governments apologised for their roles in 2023. Established in 1978, the Sandford St Martin Awards celebrate UK radio, TV and online programming that explores religious, spiritual and ethical themes across all genres. The vote for Radio Times Readers’ Award is open until 10 May at 11:59pm with the winner being announced at the ceremony on 16 June at London's Lambeth Palace. #longlostfamily @davinamccall @nickyaacampbell