Prix CIRCOM Regional 2009 Jury Report
20th PRIX CIRCOM WINNERS ANNOUNCED
The eight category winners in the valuable and prestigious Prix CIRCOM Regional for Europe’s regional TV stations are announced on Monday 6 April 2009, after four days of judging in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
The BBC has dominated with two winners – in the Video Journalism and Documentary categories – and with two other programmes highly commended, in the Magazine and Documentary categories. The Magazine category and the Web category were both won by RTE Ireland, who can also celebrate great success. Other awards go to Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg in Germany, Czech Television, RTVSlo Slovenia and Omroep Fryslan in The Netherlands
There were 132 entries from 20 different countries. The categories were Web Site, Documentary, Magazine, International, Fiction/Drama, Sport, Vivre L’Europe and Video Journalism.
The awards are sponsored by several European public service broadcasters: France TV, BBC, ERT 3 Greece, SVT Sweden, RTVSlo Slovenia, TG4 Ireland and TVP Poland. The winning station in each category receives prize money of 3,000 euros and a trophy. The winning stations are invited to send the producer or director of the programme (or manager of the web site) to Groningen, expenses paid for travel and two nights’ accommodation, to collect the award at a gala evening event attended by the senior executives and producers of Europe’s public service broadcast regional stations.
David Lowen, President of the Prix CIRCOM Regional and chairman of the judges, said:
“Once again, we have seen some of the finest programmes shown on television anywhere in Europe during the year. Quality standards in regional television remain high despite continuing pressure on production funds and resources.”
The judging was in Celadna, near Ostrava, at the invitation of Ilja Racek, Ceskatelevize Ostrava’s station director, and Vladimir Stvrtna, national co-ordinator for CTV.
The 14 judges were all highly experience television professionals from 14 different countries. The judges were: Grethe Haaland (NRK Norway); Malin Rogstrom (SVT Sweden); Janos Csespregi (MTV Hungary); Jozef Puchala (STV Slovakia); Vladmir Strakos (CTV Czech Republic); Maire ni Choinlain (TG4 Ireland); Jean-Christian Spenle (FTV France); Dieuwke Kroese (Omroep Fryslan, The Netherlands); Elke Kalbe (BRF Studio Franken, Germany); Isabel Correia (RTP Portugal); Carla Tompea (TVR Romania); Boris Bergant (RTVSlo Slovenia); Wojchiech Malinowski (TVP Poland); Tony O’Shaughnessy (BBC Wales).
The BBC is also sponsor of the category, Documentary, which it won and under the competition rules is not allowed to collect the prize money give by its own sponsorship. The trophy, however, will still be presented and the producer or director will still have travel and accommodation paid to collect the award.
The category winners are:
GRAND PRIX
Winner: God's Rainbow (CTV Ostrava, Czech Republic), also this year's Fiction/Drama winner
DOCUMENTARY
Winner: Inside Out: A Ferry Big Con (BBC South East, UK)
Commended: Who Killed My Son (BBC South, UK) and My Seventh Spring (NRK More Og Romsdal, Norway)
MAGAZINE
Winner: Pobal Special (RTE Dublin, Ireland)
Commended: Inside Out South (BBC South, UK)
VIDEO JOURNALISM
Winner: Gareth Furby (BBC London, UK)
Commended: Sean Mac an tSithigh (TG4 Galway, Ireland)
VIVRE L'EUROPE
Winner: EU Snapshots (RTVSlo Maribor, Slovenia)
SPORT
Winner: Keats Heart (Omroep Fryslan, The Netherlands)
Commended: The Boat Competition (TG4 Galway, Ireland)
INTERNATIONAL
Winner: Rublyovka: Road To Bliss (Rundfunk Berlin Brandenburg, Germany)
FICTION/DRAMA
Winner: God's Rainbow (CTV Ostrava, Czech Republic)
WEB
Winner: RTE Dublin, Ireland
Commended: SVT Umea, Sweden