AUSTRALIA WINS FIRST INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL EMMY® AWARD FOR FICTION

UK Wins Digital Non-Fiction and Children & Young People Awards

MIPTV-Cannes, March 30th, 2009 — The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced tonight the winners for the International Digital Emmy® Awards at a ceremony organized in partnership with Reed Midem, during the MIPTV Opening festivities in Cannes, France.

Australia made history by winning its first International Digital Emmy® in the Fiction category with Scorched, a futuristic interactive online drama set in a 2012 world, ravaged by climate change. UK won the Non-Fiction and Children & Young People awards. Britain From Above, a joint television and online project using technology to present a unique bird’s eye view of the nation, won for Non-Fiction. Battlefront – a cross-platform project that follows twenty teenagers running campaigns to change the world, won for Children & Young People.  Complete information on the winners follows this release.

“This year’s winners have truly embraced the creative and technological opportunities that the digital space presents,” said Bruce L. Paisner, President & CEO of The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. “We congratulate them on their cutting-edge achievements.”

The awards ceremony was attended by over 200 international executives from the television, broadband and mobile industries and sponsored by Zillion TV.

About the International Academy
The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is the largest organization of global broadcasters, with 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 Actor; Best Performance by an Actress; Children & Young People; Comedy; Current Affairs; Documentary; Digital Program: Children & Young People; Digital Program: Fiction; Digital Program: Non-Fiction; Drama Series; Non-Scripted Entertainment; Telenovela and TV Movie/Mini-Series.

The Academy is a unique, independent organization comprised of the world’s television 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. Each year, the Academy produces the International Emmy® World Television Festival and the International Emmy® Awards Gala in New York City. The Festival features programming from around the world, and presentations and panels from international producers and directors. The International Emmy® Awards Gala attracts 1,000 international figures in broadcast, entertainment and media. More information can be found online at www.iemmys.tv. 

About Reed Midem
Reed MIDEM is a leading organizer of professional, international tradeshows. Reed MIDEM events have established themselves as key dates in professional diaries. The company hosts MIPDOC, MIPTV, MILIA, MIPCOM JUNIOR and MIPCOM for the television and new media industries, MIDEM for music professionals, MIPIM and MAPIC for the property sector and GLOBAL CITY for urban management specialists.

Reed MIDEM is a division of Reed Exhibitions, the world leader in the organization of some 420 public exhibitions and professional tradeshows.

Media 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
Cell: 917-754-0085

Jane Garton, Press Manager
Reed Midem
jane.garton@reedmidem.com

 

THE 2009 INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL EMMY® AWARDS WINNERS

DIGITAL PROGRAM: FICTION
Scorched
Firelight Productions in association with Goalpost Pictures / Essential Media and Entertainment
Australia

Director/ Producer: Marcus Gillezeau
Producer: Ellenor Cox
Co-Producer/ Writer: Michael O’Neill
Writer/ Editor: Brad Hayward

Scorched is set in 2012 in a climate change ravaged world. Sydney has run out of water and is surrounded by raging bushfires. Over a three month period, two million Australians entered this “future” world without water and engaged in a “what-if” disaster movie and interactive online drama. The Scorched universe consisted of a star-studded telefeature, an integrated episodic online prequel and sequel drama, as well as an online News network with extensive bulletins and weather reports from 2012. The experience was further enhanced through three dedicated YouTube channels, four ancillary faux websites, 20 social networking profiles, numerous forums and over 20 minutes of user- generated videos.

 

DIGITAL- CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE
Battlefront
RAW TV / Airlock for Channel 4
United Kingdom

Executive Producer, TV & Web: Lucy Willis
Digital Director, Web: Chris Mair
Project Producer, Web: Joanna Woolf   

Battlefront is a new cross-platform project that follows twenty teenagers running campaigns to change the world. Central to the project is a TV series featuring five of these campaigners. Their issues range from fighting gun and knife crime to protesting against ”size-zero” models. Complimenting the TV series is a comprehensive Battlefront website featuring content from the campaigners including blogs, video diaries and short films. Viewers are encouraged to interact with campaigners on the site by leaving messages of support and ideas.

DIGITAL PROGRAM: NON-FICTION
Britain From Above
BBC / Lion
United Kingdom

Executive Producer, Multiplatform (BBC): Nick Cohen
Head of Interactive (Lion Television): Kirsty Hunter
Senior Interactive Designer (Lion Television): Eddie Gachegua
Executive Producer (Lion Television): Nick Catliff

From a bird’s eye view of the nation, Britain looks very different. Its inner workings, cities, landscape, and people are revealed and rediscovered in new and extraordinary ways. Cutting edge technology allows the audience to see through cloud cover, navigate the landscape and witness familiar sights as never seen before. Britain From Above took the idea of multiplatform production to new heights: the entire project was commissioned, planned, scripted and shot as one joint television and online project. The website allows viewers to watch all the films from the programs, exclusive material including rewinds through time at 16 different locations, rough cuts of magic moments behind the scenes, and aerial images in the photography section.