NEW YORK, USA — The New York Festivals TV & Film Awards competition has announced the 2023 Storytellers Gala award winners. Globally recognized content created by some of the world’s most innovative storytellers and broadcasters from 42 countries were honored with awards on April 18 at the virtual Storytellers Gala.
NYF’s TV & Film Grand Jury recognized captivating content created by global storytellers in the following genres primetime entertainment, documentaries, investigative journalism, sports coverage, promos, streaming media, and brand image films.
For the seventh consecutive year, Al Jazeera English’s coverage of international issues and wide-ranging themes earned the network the prestigious title of Broadcaster of the Year. The network was awarded an impressive number of trophies across NYF’s robust category roster for its diverse international news and current affairs programming including The Big Picture, Fault Lines, Witness, 101 East, Africa Direct, Al Jazeera Investigations, A Sense of Community, and First Nation Frontlines. Gold winners include “Fault Lines – Silenced: The Killing of Journalists in Mexico,” “101 East – Thailand’s Fearless Cop,” and, “A Sense of Community: Outer Hebrides.” Al Jazeera Digital Gold winners include “Start Here – On the Road,” and “AJ Close Up.”
“It’s an honor to be named Broadcaster of the Year by the New York Festivals TV & Film Awards,” said Giles Trendle, Managing Director of Al Jazeera English. “Like many media organizations, our journalists face so many challenges in reporting the news and telling the important stories from around the world that matter. This reward is a tribute to our wonderful, creative, hardworking teams who deliver so consistently and with such professionalism. I would like to thank the international jurors and our media industry peers for recognizing the work we do.”
Zinc Media Group was honored with the Production Company of the Year Award. Known for creating high-quality content for its brands, Zinc Media Group earned multiple trophies including a 2023 Grand Award, a Gold trophy, 4 Silver, and a Bronze trophy for their productions including “Vulnerable People,” “Wish,” “Opening Up,” “Body-Worn Cameras: Teenagers,” and “My Greatest Shot in partnership with Adobe.”
“To be awarded this overall prize of Production Company of the Year, when competing against such revered peers, is such an honor. I’m very proud of the collective endeavor and the dedication of our team at Zinc Media Group to have reached such a significant milestone in our journey. Thank you to the judges and to the New York Festivals, the award is very gratefully received and will be a prominent part of our ongoing story,” said Mark Browning, CEO of Zinc Media Group.
2023 Grand Awards
- Vulnerable People, Zinc Media Group – Corporate Image/Attitudinal Training. The Grand Award-winning film was created for Network Rail (NR), the owner and infrastructure manager of the railway network in the UK, to provide NR personnel tasked with handling the delicate situation of public trespassing on NR infrastructure and how to address the daily risk across the rail network. The film was designed to keep the viewer guessing how it would resolve, to draw them in and remind them that potential fatalities can arise not necessarily from a failure of protocol but by failing to connect separate reports and taking appropriate action.
- Peaky Blinders, Caryn Mandabach Productions and Tiger Aspect Productions for BBC One – Entertainment Program/Drama earned the 2023 Grand Award. Set in Britain in 1919, with the nation cleaned out by the extravagances of the Great War, the series chronicles Thomas Shelby and his family who run the most feared and powerful gang, the Peaky Blinders. Named for their practice of sewing razor blades into the peaks of their caps, they make money from illegal betting, protection, and the black market. In season 6, Tommy faces his demons in an epic final showdown.
- Naked – Sex and Gender: 1. Born Unequal, 2. Finally Grown Up, German Television ZDF – Documentary/Human Concerns. The Grand Award-winning documentary explores the idea that a purely polar view of the sexes is no longer an option. The awareness of the diversity of the sexes, the fluidity of gender identity, and the relativity of its classification have increased, due to the emergence of diverse minorities. The production details the sometimes uncontradicted journey through the variety of identities, feelings, fears, and joys urging that… We need to talk. With each other. Now.
New York Festivals Storyteller’s Gala honored “The Kalb Report” with the 13th annual New York Festivals Lifetime Achievement Award. For nearly 30 years the Kalb Report, moderated by eminent journalist Marvin Kalb, has provided a forum for prominent newsmakers and journalists to discuss the news media’s impact on American democracy.
Saving Venice Lion TV/All3Media International/PBS/Arte was honored with the 2023 WaterBear Award honoring the highest-scoring documentary across the Climate Change & Sustainability, Environment & Ecology, and Nature & Wildlife categories. The award-winning series captures extraordinary stories of the battle to save this historic city and reveals the city’s remarkable conflict with the elements and how solutions for its future could lie in its past.
“It’s a real honor to win such a prestigious and important award and I want to thank Lion TV and All3Media for giving me the chance to be part of an incredible journey. I hope that this film contributes to raising awareness towards such important themes,” expressed Elena Mortelliti, Producer of Saving Venice.
Documentaries dominated this year’s competition. Top-scoring docs captivated audiences and impressed the Grand Jury. Gold-winning documentaries include “11 Minutes” See It Now Studios, Triage Entertainment, and All Rise Films/Paramount+, “Secrets of the Sea” MacGillivray Freeman Films, “52 Documentary” Voice of America, “Janet Jackson” Workerbee and AEC for Lifetime and A+E, “The Unknown Master of Restoration” NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), “Africa Direct – First Dance Steps: Don Sen Folo/A Legacy” Big World Cinema for Al Jazeera English, “Forgotten Children – Rohingya Refugees” Threesixzero Productions, “What is wilderness?” Nautilusfilm GmbH, “One at Heart, Jessica Soho: Wounds of Woes” and “The Atom Araullo Specials: Eye in the Dark” for GMA Network, “My Son and the Sun” Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation, “Choices – Dare to Dream” DW Deutsche Welle, “Riot Island” Peddling Pictures, “Juquery, A Place out of this World” GloboNews, “Auswärtsspiel – Die Toten Hosen in Ost-Berlin” Martin Groß, “Canada – Surviving the Wild North” Terra Mater Studios GmbH, “Bosnia – A Frozen Reconciliation” OFF THE GRID-TRT WORLD, “Keep on Dancing” ABC TV Australia, “Natures Magic Moments” Light & Shadow GmbH, and “Old People’s Home for Teenagers” Endemol Shine Australia.
Entertainment Gold winners include “Gordon Ramsay’s Future Food Stars” Studio Ramsay for BBC One, UK and “The Detectorists Feature Special” Channel X for BBC One UK, produced in association with All3Media International; “Dias Mejores” and “Bose” Paramount, “Marie Antoinette” A CANAL+ Creation Originale produced by CAPA Drama, Banijay Studios France, and Les Gens, “Rogue Heroes” A Kudos and Nebulastar Production for BBC One, and “Youth News@ PTS: I’ve Attempted Suicide, But I Want to Live” Public Television Service Foundation (PTS Taiwan).
Breaking news coverage, features, and investigative reports showcased topics and events unfolding on the world stage. Gold-winning entries include “The Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh” Al Jazeera English, “A Queen’s Conquest – Serena Williams Tribute” ESPN, “Land of Rising Dreams?” NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), “CNA Correspondent: The Shanghai Lockdown” Mediacorp, “WAR AT OUR BORDERS” and “FEARLESS IN TRANSNISTRIA” Antena 3. Charles Stratford Senior Correspondent, Al Jazeera English, and Mark Stone, US Correspondent, Sky News each earned the New York Festivals Gold trophy for Best News Reporter/Correspondent.
Sports programming united fans and captivated viewers, Gold trophy winners include “B1G Trailblazers” Big Ten Network, “The Tournament: A History of ACC Men’s Basketball” ESPN, “Grails ‘When Sneakers Change the Game’” Brainstormin Productions, “Betty Skelton: Boundless” Fox Sports Network, “NBA Hoop Cities” Casual Films, “The Last Stone” Tern Television Productions Limited, a Zinc Media Company, “The Wall Climb for Gold” Windfall Films, and “Abuse- sexualized violence in German swimming” EyeOpening.Media GmbH.
Promos enticed viewers to tune in. Gold winners include “BBC First Finds” BBC Studios, “Tom Cruise´s Movies Stunt on AXN” Sony Pictures Entertainment Creative Center Iberia, “France 5 – Science Grand Format” France 3, “UCL Goosebumps are Back” beIN SPORTS Asia, “Gold Goal” Tyc Sports, “Sawa Radio Promotion” Alhurra Television, and “ABC Australia: Celebrating 90 years campaign” Australian Broadcasting Corp. Sydney.
Corporate and Brand Image Films conveyed the company’s mission and ethos to consumers. Gold trophy-winning work include “DBL – Nothing to hide” AL DENTE ENTERTAINMENT GMBH, “Benefits of Renewable Natural Gas” Shells Creative Solutions Content Engine, “Mitie Forte” and “Passion with Purpose“ Casual Films, “Fire” DeVito/Verdi, “You’re Welcome” Media Zoo, and “Opening Up” Zinc Media Group.
New York Festivals Television & Film Awards celebrates innovative storytelling from around the globe and honors content creators whose compelling programs reach international audiences. The competition’s 65-year legacy provides a showcase of exceptional work across all genres of entertainment media.
All Entries in the 2023 competition were judged online and screened by NYF’s TV & Film Awards Grand Jury of over 200 producers, directors, writers, and other creative media professionals from around the globe. Award-winning entries are showcased in the TV & Film Awards winners gallery.
