Some 35 years since the demise of the East German regime, a groundbreaking series looking into the daily life in the GDR picked up an International Emmy at Monday night’s award ceremony in New York.
Produced by the German regional public broadcaster MDR, “Auf Fritzis Spuren — Wie war das so in der DDR?” (In Fritzi’s Footsteps — What was it like in the GDR?) took home the prize in the Kids: Factual & Entertainment category, and beat competitors from Brazil, the United Kingdom and South Africa.
‘A high-quality program for children’
Across six episodes, “In Fritzi’s Footsteps” describes divided Germany in the period shortly before reunification, and interweaves animation, interviews with contemporary witnesses and historical facts to enlighten young audiences.
The two presenters, Anna Shirin Habedank and Julian Janssen, meet former GDR citizens who discuss, for example, surveillance under the Stasi secret police, or the demonstrations that ushered in the end of the communist regime.
Presenter Janssen spoke about “the courage 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 final days of East Germany before the Berlin Wall fell.
“Thirty-six years later, I’m standing here and thinking it is absolutely crazy,” he said.
German thriller misses out
The second 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 out to the British production “Lost Boys & Fairies” in the Television Film/Miniseries category.
The top drama series award went to “Rivals,” which explores the lives of conservative aristocrats in 1980s Britain.
The International Emmy for the best comedy series went to the British detective dramedy “Ludwig.”
“Hell Jumper,” a documentary about a British volunteer killed in the war in Ukraine, was named best documentary.
Other winners included Australia’s “Bluey,” winner of the best children’s animated series, a British production about daily life in Gaza, “Dispatches: Kill Zone. Inside Gaza,” as best current affairs program, and a Netflix documentary on the kiss scandal involving Spanish football official Luis Rubiales and World Cup winner, Jennifer Hermoso.
The International Emmys are the global offshoot of the main Emmy Awards. For the 53rd edition, which focuses on productions from outside the United States, entries from 26 countries were nominated across 16 categories.
“In a world that often feels uncertain, television continues to serve as a powerful force for connection across cultures and borders,” said International Academy president and CEO Bruce L. Paisner at the award gala in New York.
“This year’s winners, spanning the globe from Japan and Germany to Australia and Turkey, reflect the extraordinary diversity of voices and the outstanding programs and performances that define the very best of global television.”
Edited by: Carla Bleiker