# International Emmy Award for Best Documentary

The International Emmy Award for Best Documentary is presented since 1967 by the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (IATAS) to the best documentaries produced and aired initially outside the United States.

## Rules

According to the rules of the International Academy, documentary is a factual presentation providing an in-depth analysis of a specific subject or point of view supported by evidence and informed commentary, on any subject other than art and artists. The program should fit the minimum format length of a televised half-hour time slot.
If the program is part of a continuous series of self-contained episodes (i.e. each episode has its own storyline with a conclusion; or each episode may have a different director and/or producer; or series has the potential to go on for multiple seasons), then each episode must be submitted as a separate entry. If the program is a multi-part series with a finite number of episodes (no further episodes planned), covering the same theme, two (2) episodes must be submitted to represent of the series as a whole.
If the program contains multiple parts with a continuing storyline beyond one episode, or share the same concept, two (2) episodes must be submitted to represent the series as a whole. The program may employ partial re-enactment, stock footage, stills, animation, stop-motion or other techniques, as long as the emphasis is on fact and not on fiction

## Winners and nominees
### 1960s-1970s

| Year | English title | Original title | Production company/Network | Country |
| 1967 | Big Deal at Gothenburg | Big Deal at Gothenburg | Tyne Tees Television | United Kingdom |
| 1968 | The Anderson Platoon | La Section Anderson | Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française | France |
| 1969 | The Last Campaign of Robert Kennedy | The Last Campaign of Robert Kennedy | Swiss Broadcasting and Television | Switzerland |
| 1979 | The Secret Hospital – Part 1, Rampton | The Secret Hospital – Part 1, Rampton | Yorkshire Television | United Kingdom |

### 1980s

| Year | English title | Original title | Production company/Network | Country |
| 1980 | Fighting Back | Fighting Back | Canadian Broadcasting Corporation | Canada |
| 1981 | Charters to Hell | Charters Pour L'Enfer | TF1 | France |
| 1982 | Is There One Who Understands Me? – The World of James Joyce | Is There One Who Understands Me? – The World of James Joyce | Raidió Teilifís Éireann | Ireland |
| 1983 | The Miracle of Life | The Miracle of Life | Swedish Television | Sweden |
| 1984 | The Heart of the Dragon: Remembering (Episode 1) | The Heart of the Dragon: Remembering (Episode 1) | Channel 4 | United Kingdom |
| 1985 | 28 Up | 28 Up | Granada Television | United Kingdom |
| 1986 | Chasing a Rainbow: The Life of Josephine Baker | Chasing a Rainbow: The Life of Josephine Baker | Channel 4 / Csaky Ltd. | United Kingdom |
| 1987 | The Sword of Islam | The Sword of Islam | Granada Television | United Kingdom |
| 1988 | The Last Seven Months of Anne Frank | The Last Seven Months of Anne Frank | TROS / BRT Belgium Television / AVA | United Kingdom |
| 1989 | Four Hours in My Lai | Four Hours in My Lai | Yorkshire TV | United Kingdom |

### 1990s

| Year | English title | Original title | Production company/Network | Country |
| 1990 | J'ai Douze Ans et Je Fais la Guerre | J'ai Douze Ans et Je Fais la Guerre | CAPA Production / Canal Plus / France 3 | France |
| 1991 | Cambodia – The Betrayal | Cambodia – The Betrayal | ITV Central | United Kingdom |
| 1991 | El Caso 112 | El Caso 112 | Televisión Española | Spain |
| 1991 | Chasseurs des ténèbres | Chasseurs des ténèbres | Antenne 2 / MDI / Nat Geo / Wind Horse | France |
| 1992 | The Fifth Estate: To Sell A War | The Fifth Estate: To Sell A War | Canadian Broadcasting Corporation | Canada |
| 1992 | Inside Story: The Nightrider | Inside Story: The Nightrider | BBC Television | United Kingdom |
| 1992 | Kwai | Kwai | Antenne 2 | France |
| 1993 | Disappearing World: "We Are All Neighbours" | Disappearing World: "We Are All Neighbours" | Granada Television | United Kingdom |
| 1993 | Monika and Jonas – The Face of the Informer State | Monika and Jonas – The Face of the Informer State | NHK | Japan |
| 1993 | Shackled Children | Shackled Children | Metropole Television | France |
| 1994 | Life in the Freezer: "The Big Freeze" | Life in the Freezer: "The Big Freeze" | BBC | United Kingdom |
| 1995 | Anne Frank Remembered | Anne Frank Remembered | Jon Blair Film Company / BBC / Disney Channel | United Kingdom |
| 1995 | Lest We Forget | Contre L’Oubli | France 2 | France |
| 1995 | The Dead (Twenty-Five Bloody Years) | The Dead (Twenty-Five Bloody Years) | BBC | United Kingdom |
| 1995 | Igor – Child of Chernobyl | Igor – Child of Chernobyl | Zenith North / Carlton Television | United Kingdom |
| 1996 | The Pelican of Ramzan the Red | The Pelican of Ramzan the Red | Boreales / Canal + / Docstar / Premiere | France |
| 1996 | People's Century - "1933: The Master Race" | People's Century - "1933: The Master Race" | BBC Television / WGBH | United Kingdom |
| 1996 | The Saga of Life: The Unknown World | The Saga of Life: The Unknown World | Sveriges Television / Eriksson Television / Wanngard | Sweden |
| 1997 | Gerrie & Louise | Gerrie & Louise | Canadian Broadcasting Corporation | Canada |
| 1998 | Exile in Sarajevo | Exile in Sarajevo | Exile Productions | Australia |
| 1998 | Futebol | Futebol | GNT / Globosat / Videofilmes | Brazil |
| 1998 | Endgame: The Untold Story of the Hostage Crisis in Peru | Endgame: The Untold Story of the Hostage Crisis in Peru | NHK | Japan |
| 1999 | Born in the USSR: 14 Up | Born in the USSR: 14 Up | Granada Television / BBC | United Kingdom |
| 1999 | Just Like Anyone Else | Just Like Anyone Else | Mainichi Broadcasting System | Japan |

### 2000s

| Year | English title | Original title | Production company/Network | Country |
| 2000 | Kapo | Kapo | RAI 3 / Spiegel TV / TEL-AD TV | Israel |
| 2000 | Stolen Generations | Stolen Generations | Jotz Productions | Australia |
| 2000 | Playing the China Card: Nixon and Mao | Playing the China Card: Nixon and Mao | Channel 4 / WGBH-TV | United Kingdom |
| 2001 | Welcome to North Korea | Welcome to North Korea | KRO Television | Netherlands |
| 2001 | Challenger: Go for Launch | Challenger: Go for Launch | BBC Two | United Kingdom |
| 2001 | La liste Golda | Golda's List | France 3 | France |
| 2001 | For My Baby | For My Baby | Mainichi | Japan |
| 2002 | Nicholas Winton - The Power of Good | Nicholas Winton - The Power of Good | WIP / Czech Television / Slovak Television | Slovakia |
| 2002 | Offspring | Offspring | Barna-Alper Productions / CBC Television | Canada |
| 2002 | Decision at Age 18 - Israeli Youths Refuse To Fight | Decision at Age 18 - Israeli Youths Refuse To Fight | NHK | Japan |
| 2002 | City Slickers: A Tale of Two African Penguins | City Slickers: A Tale of Two African Penguins | Pelican Pictures | South Africa |
| 2003 | Like Goes On | Das Leben geht weiter | StarCrest Media GmbH | Germany |
| 2003 | Avenging Terror | Avenging Terror | Channel 4 | United Kingdom |
| United Kingdom ||
| 2003 | Stalingrad | Stalingrad | ZDF | Germany |
| 2004 | The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off | The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off | Channel 4 | United Kingdom |
| 2004 | Testigo | Testigo | Canal 13 | Chile |
| 2004 | Seven Wonders of the Industrial World: "Hoover Dam" | Seven Wonders of the Industrial World: "Hoover Dam" | BBC Two | United Kingdom |
| 2004 | The Origins of AIDS | Les Origines du Sida | Galafilm / MFP / Pathe Archives | Canada, France |
| 2005 | The Drama of Dresden | The Drama of Dresden | BROADVIEW TV GmbH / ZDF | Germany |
| 2005 | Contacto: "Paul Schafer: Se Busca" | Contacto: "Paul Schafer: Se Busca" | Canal 13 | Chile |
| 2005 | The House of Saud | The House of Saud | Arte France / Alegria / Starling / BBC / WGBH Boston | France, United Kingdom |
| 2005 | Prostitution Behind the Veil | Prostitution bakom slojan | COSMO DOC APS / SVT | Denmark, Sweden |
| 2006 | Hiroshima | Hiroshima | BBC / TF1 / ZDF / Discovery Channel | United Kingdom |
| 2006 | How Putin Came To Power | How Putin Came To Power | Arte | France |
| 2006 | 9/11: The Falling Man | 9/11: The Falling Man | Channel 4 | United Kingdom |
| 2006 | The Search for Happiness | The Search for Happiness | WRD | Germany |
| 2007 | Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive | Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive | IWC Media / BBC Scotland | United Kingdom |
| 2007 | In God's Hands | In God's Hands | RCN Televisión | Colombia |
| 2007 | Dinosaurs vs. Mammals – Secrets of Mammalian Survival | Dinosaurs vs. Mammals – Secrets of Mammalian Survival | NHK | Japan |
| 2007 | Smiling in a War Zone | Smiling in a War Zone | Cosmo Doc / ZDF / SVT | Denmark |
| 2008 | The Beckoning Silence | The Beckoning Silence | Channel 4 | United Kingdom |
| 2008 | Asian Corridor in Heaven (Tea-Horse Old Road) | Asian Corridor in Heaven (Tea-Horse Old Road) | KBS | South Korea |
| 2008 | Collision over the Amazon | Colisão sobre a Amazônia | Discovery Channel / US Hispanic | Brazil |
| 2008 | Please Vote for Me | Please Vote for Me | Steps International | Denmark |
| 2009 | The Ascent of Money | The Ascent of Money | Chimerica Media Limited / Channel 4 | United Kingdom |
| 2009 | Pancho Villa: Aqui y Alli | Pancho Villa: Aqui y Alli | History Channel Latin America / Anima Films | Argentina |
| 2009 | Shooting the Messenger | Shooting the Messenger | Al Jazeera English | Qatar |
| 2009 | Cityboy – The Life of Investment Banker Geraint Anderson | Cityboy – The Life of Investment Banker Geraint Anderson | United Docs / ECO Media / WDR | Germany |

### 2010s

| Year | English title | Original title | Production company/Network | Country |
| 2010 | Mom and the Red Bean Cake | Mom and the Red Bean Cake | Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation | South Korea |
| 2010 | 9/11: Phone Calls from the Towers | 9/11: Phone Calls from the Towers | Channel 4 | United Kingdom |
| 2010 | Kuarup: The Lost Soul Will Return | Kuarup: A alma perdida vai voltar | TV Globo | Brazil |
| 2010 | You Die as You Lived: Roterdam Hospice | Je gaat dood zoals je geleefd hebt | KRO Broadcasting Company | Netherlands |
| 2011 | Life with Murder | Life with Murder | JS Kastner Productions / National Film Board of Canada | Canada |
| 2011 | Confesiones de un Sicario | Confesiones de un Sicario | Turner Argentina / Anima Films | Argentina |
| 2011 | The Nonfiction: Family Meeting - 7 Years in the Tanaka Family | The Nonfiction: Family Meeting - 7 Years in the Tanaka Family | Fuji TV | Japan |
| 2011 | Wild Japan | Wild Japan | GmbH / ORF / ARTE / National Geographic / Parthenon Entertainment | Germany |
| 2012 | Terry Pratchett: Choosing to Die | Terry Pratchett: Choosing to Die | BBC / KEO Films | United Kingdom |
| 2012 | Across Land, Across Sea | Across Land, Across Sea | The Chosun Ilbo | South Korea |
| 2012 | Hitler's Scape | El escape de Hitler | History Channel Latin America / Anima Films | Argentina |
| 2012 | Race to the South Pole | Der Wettlauf zum Südpol | Loopfilm GmbH / ZDF | Germany |
| 2013 | 5 Broken Cameras | 5 Broken Cameras | Alegria Productions / Guy DVD Films / Burnat Films Palestine / France Télévisions | France |
| 2013 | The Golden Hour | The Golden Hour | Desert Road / TVNZ | New Zealand |
| 2013 | My Mother, Lady Bondong | My Mother, Lady Bondong | MBC | South Korea |
| 2013 | 5 de Mayo, Un Dia de Gloria | 5 de Mayo, Un Dia de Gloria | Discovery Channel Latin America / Cactus Films | Mexico |
| 2014 | No Burqas Behind Bars | Frihet bakom galler | Nima Film / SVT / NHK / Ikon / DRTV / NRK | Sweden |
| 2014 | Going Back | De Volta | Canal Futura / COOPAS | Brazil |
| 2014 | No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka | No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka | Outsider Films / Channel 4 | United Kingdom |
| 2014 | Phantoms of the Border | Phantoms of the Border | TV Chosun | South Korea |
| 2015 | Miners Shot Down | Miners Shot Down | Uhuru Productions | South Africa |
| 2015 | Africa's Wild West - Stallions of the Namib Desert | Africa's Wild West - Stallions of the Namib Desert | Interspot Film / ORF / ARTE / NDR | Austria |
| 2015 | Before We Are Forgotten | Antes de que Nos Olviden | HBO Latin America | Mexico |
| 2015 | Growing Up Down's | Growing Up Down's | Maverick Television / Dartmouth Films | United Kingdom |
| 2016 | War of Lies | Krieg der Lügen | Zischlermann Filmproduktion | Netherlands |
| 2016 | Mothers of Plaza de Mayo - The Story | Madres de Plaza de Mayo | El Perro en la Luna | Argentina |
| 2016 | Mom & Clarinet | Mom & Clarinet | KBS / Upright Media | South Korea |
| 2016 | My Son the Jihadi | My Son the Jihadi | True Vision Productions | United Kingdom |
| 2017 | EXODUS: Our Journey to Europe | EXODUS: Our Journey to Europe | KEO Films / BBC 2 | United Kingdom |
| 2017 | The Phone of the Wind: Whispers to Lost Families | The Phone of the Wind: Whispers to Lost Families | NHK | Japan |
| 2017 | Terror Studios | Le Studio de la Terreur | Capa Presse / Canal+ | France |
| 2017 | Tempestad | Tempestad | Pimienta Films / Cactus Films / Terminal | Mexico |
| 2018 | Goodbye Aleppo | Goodbye Aleppo | BBC Arabic | United Kingdom |
| 2018 | This Is Me | Eu Sou Assim | GNT / TV Zero | Brazil |
| 2018 | Puck's World | De Wereld van Puck | KURTA / EO Television | Netherlands |
| 2018 | Who I Am (Season 2) | Who I Am (Season 2) | WOWOW / Acrobat Film | Japan |
| 2019 | Bellingcat: Truth in a Post-Truth World | Bellingcat: Truth in a Post-Truth World | Submarine Amsterdam / VPRO | Netherlands |
| 2019 | The First Stone – The Rise of Lynching in Brazil | A Primeira Pedra | Canal Futura / Couro de Rato | Brazil |
| 2019 | Louis Theroux's Altered States | Louis Theroux's Altered States | BBC Studios | United Kingdom |
| 2019 | Witness: India's Forbidden Love | Witness: India's Forbidden Love | Grain Media / AJE Witness | Qatar |

### 2020s

| Year | English title | Original title | Production company/Network | Country |
| 2020 | For Sama | For Sama | Channel 4 | United Kingdom |
| 2020 | The Witness | El testigo | Caracol Televisión | Colombia |
| 2020 | Granni-E-minem | Granni-E-minem | KBS | South Korea |
| 2020 | Back to Rwanda | Terug naar Rwanda | De Chinezen / VRT Belgium | Belgium |
| 2021 | Hope Frozen: A Quest to Live Twice | Hope Frozen: A Quest to Live Twice | 2050 Productions / Netflix | Thailand |
| 2021 | Sieged | Cercados | Original Globoplay / Globo Jornalism | Brazil |
| 2021 | They Call Me Babu | They Call Me Babu | Pieter van Huystee Film | Netherlands |
| 2021 | Toxic Beauty | Toxic Beauty | White Pine Pictures | Canada |
| 2022 | Iraq's Lost Generation | Enfants de Daech, Les Damnés de la Guerre | Cinétévé / France Televisions / LCP / RTS / DR / NRK / SVT / Région Ile-de-France / CNC / PROCIREP – ANGOA | France |
| 2022 | Myanmar Coup: Digital Resistance | Myanmar Coup: Digital Resistance | NHK | Japan |
| 2022 | The Return: Life After ISIS | The Return: Life After ISIS | Sky / Alba Sotorra Productions / MetFilm | United Kingdom |
| 2022 | The Evandro Case: A Devilish Plot | O Caso Evandro | Globoplay / Glaz Entretenimento | Brazil |
| 2023 | Mariupol: The People's Story | Mariupol: The People's Story | Top Hat Productions / Hayloft Productions / BBC | United Kingdom |
| 2023 | Dossiê Chapecó – O Jogo Por Trás Da Tragédia | Dossiê Chapecó – O Jogo Por Trás Da Tragédia | Warner Bros. Discovery / Pacha Films | Brazil |
| 2023 | Nazi Hunter – Journey Into Darkness | Nazijäger – Reise In Die Finsternis | Spiegel TV | Germany |
| 2023 | Witness: "Serigne vs. The EU" | Witness: "Serigne vs. The EU" | Zungu / Al Jazeera English | Qatar |
| 2024 | Otto Baxter: Not a F**ing Horror Story | Otto Baxter: Not a F**ing Horror Story | Story Films / Archface Films / Sky Documentaries | United Kingdom |
| 2024 | The Billionaire, the Butler and the Boyfriend | L'affaire Bettencourt : Scandale chez la femme la plus riche du monde | Quadbox / Netflix | France |
| 2024 | The Exiles | The Exiles | Mediacorp | Singapore |
| 2024 | Transo | Transo | FRM / Canal Futura / LateForCake | Brazil |

## Breakdown

United Kingdom has the most awards for this category with 23 (including wins for both BBC and Channel 4).