Australia wins first Digital Emmy at MIPTV

March 31 2009, 7:15 am | BY Lynchy | 2 Comments

Picture 94.png The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announcedtonight the winners for the International Digital Emmy® Awards at aceremony organized in partnership with Reed MIDEM, during the MIPTVOpening festivities in Cannes, France.

Australia made history by winning its first International Digital Emmy®in the Fiction category with Scorched, a futuristic interactive onlinedrama set in a 2012 world, ravaged by climate change.

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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.

“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.

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.

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.