New York Festivals Television & Film Awards has revealed the 2021 Storytellers Gala award-winners. World-class work created by global storytellers from 40+ countries was honored at the October 12 Storytellers Gala, a virtual event due to the cancellation of the 2021 NAB Show in Las Vegas.
2021 Grand Awards
“My Octopus Teacher” Documentary: Nature & Wildlife (Off the Fence B.V./Sea Change Project/Netflix)
This acclaimed effort was recognized for their Grand Award-winning documentary. The film takes the viewer to a spectacular undersea world few humans have ever seen, rich with unimaginable vistas, creatures, and characters. The 2021 Oscar-winning documentary showcases a fully immersive cinematic experience and redefines the relationship between human and wild animal.
“All Creatures Great And Small” Entertainment Program: Drama (Playground TV for Masterpiece PBS and Channel 5 in association with All3media International and Screen Yorkshire) earned the NYF Grand for their adaptation of the much-loved popular BBC series that ran through 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 his sharply observed, entertaining tales of country life in the North of England to life for a wide modern audience.
“The Last Dance” News Program: Best Nonfiction Series (ESPN) The Grand Award winning 10-part documentary series from ESPN Films and Netflix explores the period in 1997 as 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 celebrated 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 garnered medals for a diverse programming roster including Al Jazeera Investigations, Witness, 101 East, Al Jazeera Correspondent, Talk to Al Jazeera, Fault Lines, and Story to Follow.
“We are delighted to once again win the top accolade of Broadcaster of the Year from the New York Festivals,” said Giles Trendle, Managing Director of Al Jazeera English. “We consider it a great honour to have our work recognised and rewarded by such a distinguished jury of our industry peers. I attribute this win to all 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 year consecutive year that The Edge Picture Company UK earned the prestigious title of Production Company of the Year. The Edge Picture Company’s corporate and brand-image films earned a robust number of medals for their visionary work for prestigious brands including 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 & President of NBC Olympics Production and Executive Producer for the Golf Channel with the eleventh annual New York Festivals Lifetime Achievement Award. NBC Sports host Mike Tirico presented the 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award to Solomon.
For 2021 NYF added 10 categories for social justice across all genres to honor storytellers using creativity to engage audiences on this critical topic. Entries earning Gold 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),
Gold winning Documentaries 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 earned Gold 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).
Entries earning Gold 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 globe showcased breaking news and headline topics emerging from the world stage. Gold winning work includes “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 scored Gold. ESPN’s inclusive coverage and in-depth sports reporting earned Gold including: “Backstory: The Decision”, “Lance”, “The All-American Cuban Comet”, “First Take: George Floyd and Police Brutality Protest Show”, and “D. Wade: Life Unexpected”. Additional Gold winners in the spotlight 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 Promos enticed 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’s your story? // Was ist deine Geschichte?” (Luxlotusliner GmbH).
Corporate and Brand Image Films showcased the mission and vision of prominent 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.
New York Festivals TV & Film Awards Grand Jury recognized global content creators across all platforms and in all genres and awarded in total 3 Grand Awards, 126 Gold World Medals, 136 Silver and 124 Bronze.
This year is the eleventh year of NYF’s strategic partnership with NAB Show, the ultimate marketplace for people passionate about media, entertainment, and technology.
Entries to each of the competitions are judged around the world by panels of peers in their respective industries. For more information, go to www.newyorkfestivals.com.
