Awards Given at Monte-Carlo TV Fest

MONTE-CARLO: Mad Men, House and Desperate Housewives were among the shows to receive Golden Nymph Awards last night at the 49th Monte-Carlo Television Festival.

Best comedy went to France’s Desperate Parents, which swept the category with wins on the performance side for Bruno Salomone and Valérie Bonneton. Mad Men dominated the drama wins, with Christina Hendricks and Jon Hamm named best actress and best actor, respectively. International TV audience awards went to House, for best drama; Desperate Housewives, for best comedy; and The Bold and the Beautiful, for best telenovela or soap opera.

The U.K.’s The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall was named best TV movie, and director Rowan Joffe was also recognized for the film. Masakazu Tamura
of Japan’s Ah, You’re Really Gone Now won as best actor, and Julie Walters
of the U.K.’s A Short Stay in Switzerland and
Isabelle Adjani of France’s Skirt Day tied for best actress. In the mini-series category, The Wolves of Germany and Flesh and Bones of Belgium also tied for the win. Outstanding actor in the category was Igal Naor
of the U.K.’s House of Saddam and outstanding actress was Charlene McKenna
of Ireland’s Whistleblower.

Canada’s CBC TV took the award for best TV news item for the network’s coverage of the Zimbabwe election, while the U.K.’s Sky News was named best 24-hour news program for coverage of the Mumbai attacks. Best news documentaries were Escaping North Korea and China in a Torrent: The Patient Parade.

The CEO of the Monte Carlo TV Festival, David Tomatis, commented: “The 49th edition of the Festival has been a remarkable triumph. The standard of submissions to the competition has again been extremely high and the judges’ task a difficult one. I congratulate all the winners on receipt of their Golden Nymph, one of the most sought-after recognitions in the television industry. My thanks to all our guests that have attended contributing to the success of the festival.”