BANFF – Home Box Office’s (HBO) John Adams was the big winner on Monday as it picked up the Grand Jury Prize as the best of the best – as well as the best drama award at the Banff World Television Awards, or Rockies, ceremony.
“OMFG. We got the big one,” said David Baldwin, executive vice-president of programming planning at HBO, in accepting the Grand Jury Prize. “John Adams was a special project for HBO.”
The U.S. mini-series about U.S. president John Adams also has Emmy and Golden Globe wins.
The Rockie for best Canadian program went to Passage, from PTV Productions for BBC Scotland. The 90-minute documentary about Scottish doctor John Rae and the Northwest Passage was helmed by Canadian John Walker.
The other grand prize winners announced Monday were:
Best Documentary
The Curse of the Mona Lisa
Entrant: Channel 4
Country: UK
Best Entertainment
Family Restaurant: The Quons (Be Bold)
Entrant: Anaid Productions Inc.
For: Food Network Canada
Country: Canada
Best Francophone
Ne Dîtes pas à ma Mère
Entrant: CAPA Presse TV
For: CANAL PLUS / PLANETE
Country: France
Best Kids and Animation
I Met The Walrus
Entrant: Bravo!
Country: Canada
Best Interactive
BITWORLD – Rescue Toya!
Entrant: NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corp.)
Country: Japan
The best Interactive award was given out on Saturday at nextMEDIA.
Special awards went to Paul Gross, who was awarded the NBC Universal Canada Award of Distinction; Victor Garber, who received the Award of Excellence; and Mark McKinney, who got the Sir Peter Ustinov Award.
Accepting his award, McKinney said, “I’ve always had a fantasy about winning a big award like this, but in my dream you were all standing.”
On Sunday, an awards ceremony honoured the category winners.
CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada was among the category winners as it was named best sports entertainment program on Sunday at the Banff World Television Festival. Other Canadian winners among the awards doled out Sunday were I Met the Walrus for animation, Paris 1919 for history and biography, Family Restaurant: The Quons (Be Bold) for lifestyle and information, and Inuit Odyssey for popular science and technology.
A complete list of the 2009 Banff World Television Festival category winners that were awarded Sunday follows:
Animation Programs – In partnership with Starz Animation Toronto
I Met the Walrus
Entrant: Bravo!
Country: Canada
Arts and Performing Arts Documentaries – In partnership with The Banff Centre
The Curse of the Mona Lisa
Entrant: Channel 4
Country: UK
Children’s Programs
Habib: The meaning of life/The ghost in the basement
Entrant: SVT- Sveriges Television
Country: Sweden
Comedy Programs – In partnership with William F. White International
Beautiful People
Entrant: BBC
Country: UK
Continuing Series and Serial Programs – In partnership with the Shaftesbury
Lost: The Constant
Entrant: ABC Studios
Country: USA
Environmental Programs – In partnership with NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corp.)
Frontline: Heat
Entrant: PBS International
Country: USA
History and Biography Programs – In partnership with Rogers Communications Inc.
Paris 1919
Entrant: National Film Board of Canada
Country: Canada
Investigative and Current Affairs Programs – In partnership with Hewlett-Packard (Canada) Co.
Oil for Fraud
Entrant: Maha Productions
For: ARTE
Country: France
Lifestyle and Information Programs – In partnership with INSINC
Family Restaurant: The Quons (Be Bold)
Entrant: Anaid Productions Inc.
For: Food Network Canada
Country: Canada
Made for TV Movies – In partnership with Sony of Canada Ltd.
Skirt Day
Entrant: ARTE France
Country: France
Mini-Series – In partnership with Deluxe Vancouver | Toronto
John Adams
Entrant: Home Box Office (HBO)
Country: USA
Music or Variety Programs – In partnership with Shure Incorporated
Peter Kay’s Britain’s Got the Pop Factor
Entrant: Channel 4
Country: UK
Political Documentaries – In partnership with DGC – BC
Dispatches – Warlords Next Door?
Entrant: Channel 4
Country: UK
Popular Science and Technology Programs – In Partnership with SAIT Polytechnic
Inuit Odyssey
Entrant: Clearwater Media
For: CBC Television and Aboriginal Peoples Television Network
Country: Canada
Reality Format Programs – In partnership with CBC/Radio-Canada
Blood, Sweat and T-Shirts
Entrant: BBC
Country: UK
Social and Humanitarian Programs – In partnership with Searchlight Recruitment Inc.
The Qur’an
Entrant: Juniper Communications Ltd.
For: Channel 4
Country: UK
Sports Documentaries – In partnership with PBS International
Thriller in Manila
Entrant: Channel 4
Country: UK
Sports Entertainment Programs
CBC’s Hockey Day in Canada
Entrant: CBC Television
Country: Canada
Telenovela Programs – In partnership with Quebec Film & Television Council
The Wolf (Lobo)
Entrant: ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation
Country: Philippines
Wildlife and Natural History Programs – In partnership with PBS International
Titus: The Gorilla King
Entrant: Tigress Productions
For: BBC and WNET
Country: UK
Youth Programs
Battlefront
Entrant: Channel 4
Country: UK
Interactive Categories:
Immersive Entertainment – In partnership with TELUS
BITWORLD – Rescue Toya!
Entrant: NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corp.)
Country: Japan
Original Online Programs – In partnership with Government of Alberta & Alberta Film
Gaza-Sderot: life in spite of everything
Entrant: Bo Travail in association with Alma Films, Trabelsi Productions, Ramattan Studio, Upian.com
Country: France
