CANNES, France – The Banff World Television Festival, in partnership with Alberta Film, has announced the nominees for the Banff World Television Awards, the annual international television program competition which this year attracted more than 800 entries across 20 categories.
The award winners will be announced at the 28th Awards Show, presented in partnership with CanWest MediaWorks, at the Fairmont Banff Springs on Monday, June 11th.
This year’s program entries represent the achievements of producers and broadcasters from 38 countries and territories, underlining the international reach of the Festival. The United States earned the highest number of nominees, with the United Kingdom a close second.
Australia, Canada, France and Germany are strong contenders across a variety of categories as well. For the first time, Russia received two nominations in the category of best miniseries.
Besides the 107 nominees for the Banff “Rockie” Awards, an additional 85 programs have been selected for out-of-competition recognition.
“We have an incredible selection of nominees this year, representing the best of the best from around the world,” says Kerry Stauffer, Director of the Program Competition. “I would like to thank our host juries for their dedication to the task of screening and selecting a list of nominees of unsurpassed richness.”
Starting April 23rd, registered delegates of BWTVF will have the opportunity to sign-up for meetings with key international Commissioning Editors in an intimate setting. Spots are available on a first-come, first-served basis and are limited to one booking per delegate.
Among the many nominees are the five in the Information and Current Affairs category, which includes a doc produced by Radio-Canada, “le Leçon de Discrimination” (A Lesson in Discrimination), about a Quebec primary school teacher and her risky but successful effort to provide her students with a taste of what discrimination feels like.
The other nominees are: “It’s time…to die in Huntsville”, from Germany; “Firehouse 54-4 – A Larry King Special”, from the U.S.; “Iraq – Legacy of Hate: The Death Squads”, from the U.K.; and “PBS Frontline: Return of the Taliban”, from the U.S.
From the other end of the spectrum, in the Comedy/ Arts Documentaries category, “Little Mosque on the Prairie: Pilot” and “Rick Mercer Report – Episode 5” are among the nominees.
