Europe's Media Prize CIVIS 2007 Awarded in Germany to Film-Makers, Authors and Journalists

Europe's Media Prize CIVIS 2007 Awarded in Germany to Film-Makers, Authors and Journalists

BERLIN, May 11/PRNewswire/ -- Twelve film-makers, authors and journalists were honoured on Thursday
evening at the German Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt) with the CIVIS media
prize for integration and cultural diversity. The award recognizes television
and radio productions from Europe which concern themselves in outstanding
fashion with the themes of integration and cultural diversity and are
suitable for promoting peaceful coexistence in the European society.

The awards were presented at an official prize-giving ceremony by Federal
Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the President of the European
Parliament Hans-Gert Pöttering, the Integration Commissioner of the Federal
Government Maria Böhmer, Director-General Markus Schächter (Zweites Deutsches
Fernsehen, ZDF), Director-General Monika Piel of Westdeutsche Rundfunk and
Director-General Dagmar Reim of Rundfunk Berlin Brandenburg.

The European CIVIS Television Prize 2007 in the Information category went
to the film-makers and journalists Beat Bieri and Ruedi Leuthold for the
documentary Neue Heimat Lindenstraße (Schweizer Fernsehen, 2007). The film
shows the coexistence of Swiss and foreigners from 22 nations in the
inconspicuous Lindenstraße on the outskirts of Lucerne. The unusual video
production documents the everyday life of the locals and the foreigners in a
street with brothels, an Islamic prayer room, bars and workshops. "The film
pleads for an integrative society in which the peaceful coexistence of people
of different origins is possible. An impressive work - outstanding in both
form and content", praised the Jury.

The European CIVIS television prize 2007 in the Entertainment category
went to the Dutch authors and journalists Hans Mors and Gert Berg for their
film Akwasi and Nico from the series Teen Scene of the television station
Katholieke Radio Omroep (KRO, Netherlands 2006). The film records the
switching of roles between Akwasi, a rapper of Ghanaian origins, and Nico, a
Dutch Gothic from Rotterdam - each of them spends five days in the life of
the other, so to speak. The switch of roles produces contradictions and new
insights. "The Dutch youth series Teen Scene sharpens the eye for the other
through the switching of roles. Free of clichés and without any preformed
opinions, the youth programme opens the vision for alternative ways of life -
entertaining and informative".

The German CIVIS television prize 2007 in the Information category was
taken by the author, director and producer Jean Boué for his TV Report
Deutschland für Anfänger in the series Schlaglicht: Die Welt-Klasse
(Südwestrundfunk, 2007). The report provides an insight into an "Integration
course" organized by the Frankfurt Teachers' Cooperative, in which a
colourful mixture of pupils from 15 nations comes together. "The television
film shows the everyday experiences of an extremely varied group of
immigrants while learning the German language and thought patterns.
"Integration beginners" in Germany. An outstanding report which convinces
with its authentic statements and images".

The German CIVIS television prize 2007 in the
Entertainment category was awarded to the author Bora Dagtekin, the director
Edzard Onneken and the producer Alban Rehnitz for the early evening series on
First German Television (ARD), Türkisch für Anfänger (Part 1, 14.03.2006).
The series portrays life in a multi-cultural patchwork family, consisting of
a German mother and her 16-year-old daughter and a Turkish-born policeman and
his children. The authors "succeeded in producing the television event of the
year 2006/2007 in the theme area of cultural diversity. Amusing, witty,
cheeky - the first part of the family series already showed what it can mean
to live in two cultures. The impressive performance of the actors and the
direction make a decisive contribution to the lasting impression of the
series", in the opinion of the jury.

Der European CIVIS radio prize (long programme over six minutes) went to
the author Martin Durm for his feature Nahaufnahme: Pogrom in der Provinz -
Von Biedermännern und Brandstiftern (Bayerischer Rundfunk, 2007). The feature
picks up the theme of the open xenophobia of the French population in
Southern part of the Alsace based on the example of an unbelievable case of
arson in a Roma camp, initiated by the mayor of the town of Ensisheim and the
police. "The author succeeds in clearly highlighting racism and xenophobia as
a challenge for the whole of Europe and provides the listeners with much food
for thought with respect to their own points of view. Excellently researched
- a feature which is outstanding in terms of both content and form",
commented the jury.

The European CIVIS radio prize (short programmes up to
six minutes) was won by the reporter Ken Jebsen and the editor Susanne
Wündisch for their radio report Irgendwo dazwischen. Portrait einer jungen
Kurdin in Berlin (Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg, 2006). In the impressive
portrait of Liya Tekin, a young Kurdish woman born in Berlin, describes in
impressive words her everyday life between tradition, time-honoured culture
and the Western lifestyle. "In this outstanding short report, the authors
succeed in retaining the authenticity of the statements and clearly describe
the balancing act between tradition and modern for the listeners", felt the
jury.

The sponsorship prize, Young CIVIS Media Prize, went to the Slovakian
film-maker and author Daniela Rusnoková for her documentary film Sona and Her
Family, her thesis work at the Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (VSMU) in
Bratislava. The film accompanies the Slovakian Roma Sona over a period of two
years, in which two of her sons are imprisoned, one of her daughters is
pregnant and she herself gives birth to her fifteenth child. "The film
provides an intimate look into the human relations of the family and their
cultural conventions. ... The author captures unusually intensive and
profoundly human images", said the jury explaining its decision.

The European CIVIS Television Jury under the chairmanship of entertainer
and presenter Frank Elstner also awarded special commendations to the
children's programme "The Little Big Stars" (Bulgarian Television),
"Neuneinhalb" (ARD/WDR/RBB/tvision), "Stark!" und "Logo" (ZDF). A further
special commendation was given to TV-Magazin "ADA - Das
Alpen-Donau-Adria-Magazin" of Österreichische Rundfunk (ORF) which has been
broadcast for 25 years now.

The CIVIS media prize is endowed with a total of 41,000 Euro. For this
year's competition, a total of 669 radio and television programmes were
submitted from 24 countries - more than ever before. Europe's media prize is
organized by the ARD, represented by Westdeutsche Rundfunk, together with the
Freudenberg Stiftung in the EU member states and Switzerland. Cooperation
partners are the Second German Television (ZDF), the ARD/ZDF current affairs
and documentary channel PHOENIX, the German-French cultural channel ARTE,
Österreichische Rundfunk (ORF), the European satellite television channel
3sat, the Swiss Radio and Telecision Corporation (SRG SSR idée suisse), Radio
Televezija Slovenija (STV) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). CIVIS
is supported by the German Savings Bank Association (DSGV), the European
Parliament, the Integration Commissioner of the German Federal Government and
the new EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA).

Further information at www.civismedia.eu

Photos of the prize-givging ceremony at the Auswärtiges Amt are available
at www.ard-foto.de

Press contact:

Uwe-Jens Lindner
WDR Press Office
Tel. +49(0)173-5469044
uwe-jens.lindner@wdr.de

Source: WDR - Westdeutscher Rundfunk

Press contact: Uwe-Jens Lindner, WDR Press Office, Tel. +49(0)173-5469044, uwe-jens.lindner@wdr.de

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