Street artist Banksy has won the most entertaining documentary prize at this year's Grierson Trust British Documentary Awards.
As usual, he did not appear in person to collect the award for Exit Through the Gift Shop– an amusing faux documentacoops prizery – but sent a message to the audience at the ceremony in London tonight.
Jury chairman Emma Hindley said: "The winner was a unanimous decision. It's a flawlessly made film; original and insightful, it asks questions rather than telling you what to think and at the same time, manages to be very, very funny."
The best documentary series went to Patrick Forbes for Channel 4's insight into Hampshire Constabulary in The Force, while Julian Temple's look at industrial and economic decline of America's Motor City in Requiem for Detroit for BBC2 won best historical documentary.
Mugabe and the White African, which aired on More4, took best cinema documentary for makers Lucy Bailey and Andrew Thompson.
The extraordinary story of white Zimbabwean farmer Mike Campbell's courage was described by the judges as "a powerful, emotional and important film".
Arena: TS Eliot took best arts documentary, while the best drama prize went to Channel 4 for Peter Travis and Paula Milne's epic Endgame.
Channel 4 also took best science documentary for David Hickman's Race and Intelligence: Science's Last Taboo and the broadcaster completed a successful evening with the coveted Shell International best documentary award on a contemporary issue going to Mat Whitecross's Moving to Mars.
The film-maker behind Channel 4's Tina Goes Shopping and The Death of Klinghoffer, Penny Woolcock, was given the top prize, the Trustees' award, in recognition of her "outstanding achievements".
Digital channel Current TV will broadcast coverage of the 2010 Grierson awards ceremony on 6 November.
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