JORDAN AND ARGENTINA WIN FIRST INTERNATIONAL EMMYS® AT THE 36th INTERNATIONAL EMMY® AWARDS GALA
Jordan Honored for Telenovela, Argentina Honored for TV Movie / Mini-Series
UK Wins in Seven Categories including Best Performance by an Actor & Best Performance by an Actress
NEW YORK, November 24, 2008 – The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced the winners of the 36th International Emmy® Awards tonight at a Gala event held in the New York Hilton, hosted by award-winning stage and screen actor Roger Bart, currently leading in Mel Brooks’ new Broadway musical, Young Frankenstein.
A cast of international celebrities including Sam Waterston, Judith Light, Kelly Rutherford, John Waters, Paul Blackthorne, Willie Garson, Andrea Roth, Lance Reddick, Dann Florek, Linus Roache, Michaela McManus, Heather Tom and U.S. Secretary of Labor, Elaine Chao, presented the International Emmy® statue to the winners in front of an international audience of 1,000 entertainment professionals and media executives.
This year, Argentina and Jordan made history taking home their first ever International Emmy® Awards. Argentina won for Television Por La Identidad in the TV Movie/Mini Series category and Jordan won for its Telenovela Al-Igtiyah in the category’s inaugural year.
The Netherlands won in the Non-Scripted Entertainment category with The Big Donor Show, a pretend reality show staged as though a terminally ill woman were to donate a kidney to one of three contestants.
Best Performance by an Actor went to David Suchet winning for his performance as Robert Maxwell in the biopic, Maxwell. Best Performance by an Actress was won by British actress Lucy Cohu for her performance as Liz in the drama, Forgiven.
Other than the performance categories, British programs also won in the Arts Programming, Children & Young People, Comedy, Documentary and Drama Series categories.
“We would like to extend our congratulations to this year’s winners. They help us fulfill The International Academy’s mission to recognize those who have made an impact in television on a global level,” said Academy President & CEO Bruce Paisner, also President of Hearst Entertainment.
Law & Order Creator and Executive Producer Dick Wolf one of television’s most prolific writers and producers, architect of the Law & Order brand was honored with the International Emmy® Founders Award for his creative achievements and international success. Cast members from all three Law & Order dramas took the stage to present him with the award. The Directorate Award was presented to Liu Changle, Chairman and Chief executive officer of Phoenix Satellite Television by US Secretary of Labor, Elaine Chao for being the catalyst behind the wide ranging success of a global multimedia empire broadcasting in over 150 countries.
Dick Wolf started his television career as a staff writer on Hill Street Blues and was nominated for his first Emmy for an episode on which he was the only writer. He moved from there to Miami Vice where he was a supervising producer. Wolf’s Law & Order is the second-longest-running dramatic show in television history. The show has been nominated for the most consecutive Emmy Awards of any primetime drama series. Wolf serves as creator and executive producer of the three current Law & Order dramas. Wolf’s company also produced Twin Towers, the 2003 Academy Award-winning Short Documentary. Currently Wolf is involved with the production of a theatrical film that will document the rock group The Doors. In 2007, Wolf received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Liu Changle, born in Shanghai, China graduated from the Communication University of China in 1980. After graduation, he joined the Central People’s Radio Station and served in various positions from journalist, editor, and commentator to senior management executive. In 1989, Liu launched his own business venture which has activities in the petroleum, real estate, trading, infrastructure, broadcasting and publishing sectors in China and internationally. On March 31, 1996, Mr. Liu’s Today’s Asia Ltd. teamed up with Rupert Murdoch’s Star TV and China Wise International to establish the Phoenix Satellite Television Co Ltd. He serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer ever since then. Phoenix went public in 2000 and is listed on the Hong Kong Growth Enterprise Market, and since its launch, it has rapidly expanded from a single general entertainment channel to an integrated multi-media group with five television channels broadcasting in Mandarin Chinese and covering over 150 countries around the world.
About the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
Founded in 1969, the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is the largest organization of global broadcasters, with over 600 members from nearly 70 countries and over 400 companies. The Academy was chartered with a mission to recognize excellence in television programming produced outside of the United States, and it presents the International Emmy® Award to programs in fifteen categories: Arts Programming; Best Performance by an Actress; Best Performance by an Actor; Children & Young People; Comedy; Current Affairs; Documentary; Digital Program: Children & Young People; Digital Program: Fiction; Digital Program: Non-Fiction; Drama Series; News; Non-Scripted Entertainment; Telenovela and TV Movie/Mini-Series.
The Academy is a unique, independent organization comprised of the world’s leading media and entertainment professionals and media leaders who come together to exchange ideas, discuss common issues and promote new strategies for the future development of quality global television programming. The International Emmy® World Television Festival held Saturday and Sunday, November 22 and 23 featured unique screenings, panels and presentations from around the world. More information can be found online at www.iemmys.tv.
Press notes:
Photography from the event is available by contacting Eva Obadia or Matt Biscuiti (contact information below).
Media can pick up footage of the 36th Annual International Emmy Awards from the Associated Press Television Network (APTN) or by contacting Alicia Quarles at 212.621.7425 or aquarles@ap.org. Footage from the event will also be showcased on AP’s Entertainment website, http://entertainment.ap.org.
Press Contacts:
Eva Obadia, Director Marketing & PR
The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
eva.obadia@iemmys.tv
T: 212-489-6969
F: 212-489-6557
Matt Biscuiti
The Lippin Group
matt@lippingroup.com
T: 212-986-7080
2008 INTERNATIONAL EMMY® AWARD WINNERS
ARTS PROGRAMMING
Strictly Bolshoi
Ballet Boyz Productions for Channel 4
United Kingdom
Executive Producer: Dennis Marks
Producers: Michael Nunn, William Trevitt
Director: Oliver Manzi
Writers: Michael Nunn, William Trevitt
Nominees: Michael Nunn, William Trevitt
Conceived and executed by The Ballet Boyz, Michael Nunn and William Trevitt, Strictly Bolshoi follows the world’s most sought after ballet choreographer, Christopher Wheeldon, as he becomes the first Englishman to create an original work for the prestigious Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow. This documentary blends fly-on-the-wall footage of the creative process in Moscow, as well as diary-cam confessions and interviews from some of the ballet world’s most illustrious figures. The trials and tribulations of this creation culminate in the broadcast of the world premiere of the ballet in Moscow.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR
David Suchet
as Robert Maxwell
Maxwell
BBC
United Kingdom
David Suchet stars as Robert Maxwell, the charismatic and tyrannical media tycoon, in the final stages of his life. With his multi-billion pound business empire on the rocks, a failing marriage, and rival Rupert Murdoch on his heels, Maxwell attempts to curb his debt by stealing millions from the pension funds of his companies.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS
Lucy Cohu
as Liz
Forgiven
Betty TV for Channel 4 and More4
United Kingdom
Suburban housewife Liz discovers that her husband Stephen is sexually abusing their daughter. She confronts him and reports him to the authorities. Stephen is tried and imprisoned. When he leaves prison, Liz decides to try to help him recover and arranges for him to receive treatment at a residential clinic for sex offenders, where he undergoes intensive therapy. Stephen finally faces his guilt and the consequences of his abuse. The family decides to try to rebuild their lives together. Is it right? Is it even possible? And – if they can succeed – what is the emotional cost?
CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE
Shaun the Sheep
Aardman Animations / CBBC
United Kingdom
Executive Producers: Miles Bullough, Peter Lord, David Sproxton, Nick Park, Michael Carrington, Nikki Chaplin
Producer: Julie Lockhart
Directors: Richard Goleszowski, Christopher Sadler, JP Vine
Writers: Ian Carney, Glenn Dakin, Trevor Ricketts, Richard Goleszowski, Rob Dudley
Principal Cast: John Sparkes, Justin Fletcher, Kate Harbour, Rich Webber, Jo Allen
How much mischief can one sheep create? Plenty when that sheep is Shaun. His insatiable curiosity and irrepressible sense of fun lead him into the unlikeliest adventures, much to the exasperation of long-suffering sheepdog Bitzer and the amusement of the rest of the flock.
COMEDY
The I.T. Crowd
A Talkback Thames Production for Channel 4
United Kingdom
Executive Producer: Ash Attala
Producer: Jamie Glazebrook
Director: Graham Linehan
Writer: Graham Linehan
Nominees: Graham Linehan
Principal Cast: Chris O’Dowd, Richard Ayoade, Katherine Parkinson
The I.T. Crowd centers on the world of the ignored and unloved office information technology (I.T.) department of the fictitious British corporation Rynholm Industries in central London, and the relationship between the socially-awkward I.T. staff and their computer ignorant boss.
DOCUMENTARY
The Beckoning Silence
Darlow Smithson Productions / C4 / C4i
United Kingdom
Executive Producers: John Smithson, Julian Ware
Producer: Louise Osmond
Director: Louise Osmond
Nominees: John Smithson, Louise Osmond
Climber Joe Simpson travels to the Swiss Alps to recount the story of one of mountaineering’s most epic tragedies – Toni Kurz’s heroic, though failed battle for survival, after attempting to conquer the North Face of the Eiger. It is a story with eerie parallels to Simpson’s own experiences and forces him to confront fundamental issues of his own.
DRAMA SERIES
Life on Mars
Kudos Film & Television Ltd for BBC Wales
United Kingdom
Executive Producers: Jane Featherstone, Claire Parker, Matthew Graham
Producer: Cameron Roach
Directors: SJ Clarkson, Richard Clark, Andrew Gunn
Writers: Matthew Graham, Ashley Pharoah, Chris Chibnall, Julie Rutterford, Guy Jenkin, Mark Greig
Principal Cast: John Simm, Philip Glenister, Liz White, Dean Andrews, Marshall Lancaster
Nominees: Ashley Pharoah, Cameron Roach
In the final season, viewers learn how time-traveling DI Sam Tyler came to be stuck in 1973. Slowly adjusting to his new surroundings, Sam tries to fit in; however the team continues to fight crime and each other. Their investigations are as tough as ever, from a spate of bombs in the Irish community, to an undercover operation with swingers in middle-class suburbia. But as the series unfolds, Sam is still driven by his quest to find a way out of this world. Can he get back home or will he be stuck in 1973 forever?
NON-SCRIPTED ENTERTAINMENT
The Big Donor Show
Endemol for BNN
The Netherlands
Executive Producers: Paul Römer, Laurens Drillich
Associate Producer: Judith Hülsenbeck
Writer: Sebastiaan Spaan
Host: Patrick Lodiers
Nominees: Patrick Lodiers, Paul Römer
Lisa pretends she is a terminally-ill 37-year-old woman with a malignant brain tumor who doesn’t have much longer to live. In this live reality “psychology experiment”, Lisa decides to which of the three patients present she would donate her kidney. Although Lisa ultimately decides who the recipient would be, viewers at home can offer her advice via text messages.
TELENOVELA
Al-Igtiyah (The Invasion)
Arab Telemedia Productions
Jordan
Executive Producer: Talal Adnan Awamleh
Producer: Talal Adnan Awamleh
Director: Shawqi Al Majiri
Writer: Riyad Seif
Principal Cast: Abbas Al Nouri, Saba Mubarak, Munther Rayahneh, Iyad Nassar
Nominees: Talal Awamleh, Adnan Awamleh
The Invasion is a love story amidst war and chaos which focuses on the daily life of a modern Palestinian who desires to live in dignity and peace. “Operation Defensive Shield”, a real-life military operation conducted by the Israel Defense Forces in 2002, provides the backdrop for the show.
TV MOVIE/MINI-SERIES
Television por la identidad
Telefe Contenidos
Argentina
Executive Producers: Bernarda Llorente, Claudio Villarruel
General Producer: Claudio Meilan
Director: Miguel Colom
Writers: Marcelo Camaño, Guillermo Salmeron
Principal Cast: Lucrecia Capello, Malena Solda, Soledad Villamil, Lidia Catalano, Micaela Brusco, Mariano Torre, Carlos Belloso, Leonora Balcarce, Lucas Krourer, Nicole Popper
Television por la identidad is a mini-series that tells the story of grandchildren recovered by the Abuelas (Grandmothers) de Plaza de Mayo, an association of Argentine mothers whose children disappeared during the military dictatorship of 1976 to 1983. It conveys the permanent struggle of the organization in their attempt to recover the identity of children illegally appropriated during the dictatorial regime.