Produced by the German regional public broadcaster MDR, “Auf Fritzes Spurren – Wie War das so in der DDR?” (In the Footsteps of Fritzi – What Was It Like in the GDR?) won the award in the Children: Factual and Entertainment category, beating competitors from Brazil, the United Kingdom and South Africa.
‘A high quality program for children’
In six episodes, “In Fritzie’s Footsteps” describes divided Germany in the period shortly before reunification, and combines animation, interviews with contemporary witnesses, and historical facts to enlighten young viewers.
The two presenters, Anna Shirin Habdank and Julian Janssen, meet former GDR citizens who discuss, for example, surveillance under the Stasi secret police, or the demonstrations that took place at the end of communist rule.
Presenter Janssen spoke about “the courage it took to create such a high-quality program for children”, adding: “It’s incredibly great that we were able to accept this award today.”
In his acceptance speech, writer and producer Ralf Kukula said he still remembered the last days of East Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall.
“Thirty-six years later, I’m standing here and thinking this is absolutely crazy,” he said.
german thriller missed
The other nominated German production left the ceremony empty-handed. The thriller series “Herrhausen – Der Herr des Geldes” (Herrhausen – The Master of Money), which dramatizes the 1989 assassination of Deutsche Bank chairman Alfred Herrhausen, lost to the British production “Lost Boys and Fairies” in the television film/miniseries category.
The top drama series award went to “Revels,” which explores the lives of the conservative elite in 1980s Britain.
The International Emmy for Best Comedy Series went to the British detective drama “Ludwig.”
“Hell Jumper,” a documentary about a British volunteer killed in combat in Ukraine, was named best documentary.
Other winners included Australia’s “Bluey”, winner of best children’s animated series, “Dispatch: Kill Zone. Inside Gaza”, a British production about daily life in Gaza, as best current affairs programme, and a Netflix documentary on the kissing scandal involving Spanish football official Luis Rubiales and World Cup winner, Jennifer Hermoso.
The International Emmys are the global branch of the main Emmy Awards. For the 53rd edition, which focused on productions outside the United States, entries from 26 countries were nominated in 16 categories.
International Academy President and CEO Bruce L. “In a world that often feels uncertain, television is serving as a powerful force for connection across cultures and borders,” Paisner said at the awards ceremony in New York.
“Spanning the world from Japan and Germany to Australia and Turkey, this year’s winners reflect the extraordinary diversity of voices and outstanding programs and performances that define the best of global television.”
Edited by: Carla Bleiker
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