NYC Festivals Television and Film Awards revealed on 2021 Storytellers gala winners. World-class works created by storytellers around the world from more than 40 countries were honored at the Storytellers’ Gala on October 12, a virtual event due to the cancellation of the 2021 NAB Show in Las Vegas.
Grand Prizes 2021
“My Octopus Teacher” Documentary: Nature and Wildlife (Off the Fence BV/Sea Change Project/Netflix)
This acclaimed effort was recognized for their Grand Award-winning documentary. The film takes the viewer into a spectacular underwater world few humans have ever seen, rich with unimaginable vistas, creatures and characters. The 2021 Oscar-winning documentary presents a fully immersive cinematic experience and redefines the relationship between man and wild animal.
“All Creatures Great and Small” Entertainment Programme: Drama (Playground TV for Masterpiece PBS and Channel 5 in association with All3media International and Screen Yorkshire) won the NYF Grand for its adaptation of the popular BBC popular series that spanned the 70s-90s. The new vision for the show preserves the rich spirit, tone and values of Herriot’s iconic characters and stories and brings to life his entertaining and well-observed tales of country life in the North of England for a wide modern audience.
“The Last Dance” Current Affairs Program: Best Non-Fiction Series (ESPN) The Grand Award-winning 10-part documentary series from ESPN Films and Netflix explores the period of 1997 when Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls were followed by a film crew as they began their quest to win a sixth NBA title. The result is the film “The Last Dance”, a remarkable portrait of an iconic player and a famous team – revealed more than two decades later.
For the fifth consecutive year, Al Jazeera English’s coverage of international issues and universal themes earned the network the prestigious title of Broadcaster of the Year. The network has won medals for a diverse programming slate, including Al Jazeera Investigations, Witness, 101 East, Al Jazeera Correspondent, Talk to Al Jazeera, Fault Lines, and Story to follow.
“We are thrilled to once again win New York’s Festivals’ highest honor of Broadcaster of the Year,” said Giles Trendle, Managing Director of Al Jazeera English. “We consider it a great honor to have our work recognized and rewarded by such a distinguished jury of our industry peers. I attribute this victory to all of our wonderful and diverse teams at Al Jazeera English who, with professionalism, diligence and creativity, remain committed to reporting and telling the stories that matter.
This is the 15th consecutive year that The Edge Picture Company UK has won the prestigious title of Production Company of the Year. The Edge Picture Company’s corporate and branding films have won a host of awards for their visionary work for such prestigious brands as Deloitte, PwC, Openreach, Standard Chartered, The Guardian Service, Havas Just and Ahmad Tea.
The 2021 New York Festivals Storytellers Gala celebrated Molly Solomon, Executive Producer and President of NBC Olympics Production and Executive Producer of Golf Channel with the Eleventh Annual New York Festivals Life Achievement Award. NBC Sports host Mike Tirico presented the 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award to Solomon.
For 2021, the NYF has added 10 categories for social justice across genres to honor storytellers using creativity to engage audiences on this critical topic. Gold-winning entries include “CBS Sports Presents: 8:46” (CBS Sports), “The Price of Poverty” (DW Deutsche Welle), “I Am Not A Commodity” (ANTENA 3), “A Most Beautiful Thing ” (50 Eggs Films) and “The Psychiatrist of Aleppo” (CRTVE). Silver winners include “Momma Lonnae O’Neal Essay” (ESPN), “MLB Tonight: A Conversation” (MLB Network), “Insight: Stateless In India” (Mediacorp Pte Ltd), “The Time is Now” ( The Edge Picture Company), and “Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning” (Kreativ Inc. for Lifetime),
Documentaries that took gold in the Winner’s Circle this year include “Why We Hate” Discovery Channel), “Witness – St Louis Superman” (Al Jazeera), “Surviving Jeffery Epstein” (Bungalow Media + Entertainment and Break Thru Films , Inc For Lifetime), “Love on the Spectrum” (Northern Pictures Pty Ltd), “Beethoven’s Ninth: Symphony for the World” (DW Deutsche Welle), “The Real Right Stuff” (1895 Films/Disney+), “Into America’s Wild” (MacGillivray Freeman Films), “America´s Arctic – A Refuge imperiled” (Terra Mater Factual Studios GmbH), “The Meadow – Paradise lost?” (nautilusfilm GmbH), “Wild Africa in Pandemic Times” (Story Producciones/RTVE), “Wild Tokyo” (NHK Japan Broadcasting Corporation Global Content Development Division) and “Mesa Para Todos” Mesa Para Todos/Table For All” (Globo Comunicações e Participações SA).
Entertainment entries captivated viewers and won gold medals, including: “Das Boot” (Bavaria Fiction/Sky Studios), “Dear Santa” (UM Studios), “Freud” (Satel Film/Bavaria Fiction), “MasterChef Australia” (Banijay Rights), “Barefoot Contessa: Cook Like A Pro” (Pacific Television), “That Animal Rescue Show” (CBS Studios), “100 Días Para Enamorarnos” (Telemundo), “Des” (New Pictures /ITV, UK) and “Bäckström” and “caliphate” (Banijay Rights).
Gold-winning entries in special events include “The 2020 Innovators Awards: Wall Street Journal Magazine” (WSJ. Magazine), “One World: Together at Home” (Global Citizen), and “Space Launch Live: America Returns to Space (Discovery Channel).
Broadcast journalism from around the world presented breaking news and hot topics emerging from the world stage. Gold-winning works include “The Search for Assad Executioners” (Al Jazeera Media Network), “101 East – India’s Child Sex Highway” (Al Jazeera English) and “From China With Love: An Adoption Story” (Voice Of America). Silver trophy winners include “NBC Nightly News: Kids Edition” (NBC News) with anchor Lester Holt, and “Beirut Blast” (Al Jazeera English).
Sports content got gold. ESPN’s inclusive coverage and in-depth sports reporting won gold, including: ‘Backstory: The Decision’, ‘Lance’, ‘The All-American Cuban Comet’, ‘First Take: George Floyd and Police Brutality Protest Show ” and D. Wade: An Unexpected Life”. Other spotlight gold winners include “Kick Off! Explains” (DW Sports), “Stories of Women in Sports: 2020 Animated Vignette Series” (CBS Sports Network) and “MLB Network Presents: Junior” ( MLB Network).
Compelling promotions attracted viewers. Gold medalists include: “Monday Night Football Open” (ESPN), “Agatha Christie Compilation” (BBC Studios), “Dinda – The Voice of Barcelona Bekasi” (beIN SPORTS Asia), “Astro Citra August Monthly Highlight” ( Measat Broadcast Network Systems Sdn Bhd), “Love and Destiny” (Shanghai Xia Yi Culture Communication CO. Ltd.) and “What is your story? // Was ist deine Geschichte? (Luxlotusliner GmbH).
Corporate and branding films showcased the mission and vision of major brands. Networks and production companies honored with gold trophies include: The Edge Picture Company, Seed Audio-Visual Communication, CBS Sports, UM Studios, KWP and Zoom Film TV, Indigo View Productions and Sledgehammer Studio.
The New York Festivals TV & Film Awards Grand Jury recognized global content creators across all platforms and genres and awarded a total of 3 Grand Prizes, 126 Global Gold, 136 Silver and 124 bronze.
This year marks the eleventh year of NYF’s strategic partnership with NAB Show, the ultimate marketplace for media, entertainment and technology enthusiasts.
Entries to each of the competitions are judged worldwide by panels of peers in their respective industries. For more information, visit www.newyorkfestivals.com.
