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Channel 4

Channel4 True Stories

Format

Feature-Length Documentary / True Stories

Length

75–90 min

Timeslot

Late night / Channel 4 / All 4

Exposé length

3–5 pages

Editorial tone

Bold, boundary-pushing, narratively ambitious. Channel 4 True Stories shows feature-length documentary films that challenge, surprise, and move. The slot stands for films that push limits — in content and form. Channel 4's tradition as a broadcaster that takes risks and gives voice to minorities shapes True Stories. International stories explicitly welcome. Films must speak to a British audience, but the perspective is global.

What this format covers

  • ●International conflicts and crises — from human perspective
  • ●Social injustices and systemic inequalities
  • ●Human rights and social movements
  • ●Untold stories from neglected regions
  • ●Culture, identity, and transformation
  • ●Investigative stories with cinematic ambition
  • ●Personal narratives with political dimension

What this format does NOT want

  • ●Conventional TV reportage
  • ●Pure entertainment without depth
  • ●Superficial treatment of complex subjects
  • ●Films without distinct cinematic voice
  • ●Pure nature or science films
  • ●Short formats under 60 minutes
  • ●Campaign films without journalistic substance

Visual expectations

Cinema quality expected. True Stories positions itself between television and theatrical film. Visual language must be distinctive and ambitious. Careful camerawork, considered composition, strong sound design. Verité approaches welcome, as are formal experiments. Films should remain visually memorable.

Expected exposé structure

  1. Title (punchy, provocative)
  2. Logline (1–2 sentences: What's the story? Why now?)
  3. Synopsis (detailed, dramaturgically structured)
  4. Director's statement and personal access
  5. Protagonists and shooting locations
  6. Visual concept
  7. Director bio and filmography
  8. Production company and financing
  9. Festival strategy and distribution

Example productions

  • The Imposter (Bart Layton, 2012)
  • The Act of Killing (Joshua Oppenheimer, 2012)
  • Notes on Blindness (Peter Middleton & James Spinney, 2016)
  • For Sama (Waad Al-Kateab, 2019)
  • The Reason I Jump (Jerry Rothwell, 2020)
Protagonist-driven

Editorial notes

Channel 4 True Stories (also Dispatches documentary strand) shows feature-length documentary films of 75–90 minutes. Channel 4 works both with acquisitions (finished films, often post-festival premiere) and commissions. International co-productions common — Channel 4 regularly co-produces with broadcasters like ARTE, BBC, and HBO. Channel 4 has a special role in the UK market as publisher-broadcaster and works exclusively with external production companies. The broadcaster is known for supporting first films and bold projects. [TO CHECK] Current commissioning contacts for Specialist Factual and exact submission processes.

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