| MUMBAI:
The Rose d'Or Festival of Lucerne has awarded Honorary Rose for lifetime achivement
to NBC Entertainment co-chairman Ben Silverman.
In
presenting the award to Silverman, the festival director Urban
Frye said, "The winner of this award is carefully considered
by the Rose d'Or organisation and presented to someone who
is renowned in the industry for their contribution to television.
"Ben Silverman has transformed the television business
model and is continually expanding the horizons of this ever-growing
medium. Ben personifies this award and I am delighted to present
him with the 2008 Honorary Rose."
The
award for Arts Documentary went to Strictly Bolshoi
which aired on Channel 4 in the UK. The film follows the world's
most sought-after ballet choreographer, Christopher Wheeldon,
as he becomes the first Englishman to be invited to create
a new work for the legendary Bolshoi Ballet.
The
comedy show award went to Kombat Opera Presents… Aired on BBC, the
show is a cross-genre format in which a cast of opera singers parody major television
formats.
The
award for drama show went to Skins (aired on E4) in the UK. It is an offbeat
comedy/drama series about a group of teenagers who push boundaries, both at home
and abroad. In
the drama category a special mention was given to Granada's The Street II.
Now in its second season the show follows the lives of the various residents
of one street in the northern English city of Manchester.
The
award for entertainment show went to
Hider In The House which aired
on BBC. It is a children's hidden-camera show. The series pits the wits
of children against their parents as they attempt to hide a celebrity in their
house for an entire weekend.
Sony's
Power of 10 won in the game show category. It tests contestants' knowledge
of public thinking and opinion. This prime time studio game show uses questions
based on large-scale professional polling results on a range of issues from politics
to pop culture.
The
best sitcom went to The IT Crowd which was aired on Channel 4 in the UK.
An office IT department is the setting of this sitcom. But far from being the
second-class citizens of the corporate world, these IT guys are the heroes of
this business. Eight
Golden Roses were presented by Swiss personalities, including Freddy Burger Management
chairman Freddy Burger, which owns the rights to the Rose d'Or Festival and Swiss-native
Kiera Chaplin, granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin.
The
Festival received 402 programmes, entered by 181 companies
across 34 countries. From these, a pre-selection jury nominated
75 programmes from 55 companies and 19 countries to compete
in their respective categories.
19
jury members narrowed this field to the top winners in each of the following eight
categories: Arts Documentary, Comedy, Drama, Sitcom, Entertainment, Game Show,
Performing Arts, and Reality. Special Awards were presented for Best Entertainer
and Best of 2008. Frye
says, "This year's programmes were of exceptional quality, which presented
our international jurors with a challenging task. However, the caliber of entries
proves not only that the Rose d'Or is back at the heart of European creativity,
but also that it is possible to create programs with cross-cultural and cross-generational
appeal". | 
