Banff Winners Announced

TORONTO: The winners of the Banff World Television Awards, known as The Rockies, have been named across 23 categories, with British productions leading the pack, winning out in such categories as best comedy.

The BBC’s Beautiful People took home honors as best comedy program. The BBC’s Blood, Sweat and T-Shirts was recognized as the top reality format, while Tigress Productions’ The Gorilla King, produced for the BBC and WNET, won out in the wildlife and natural history category. Other wins for the U.K. were Channel 4 programs: The Curse of the Mona Lisa (arts & performing arts documentaries), Peter Kay’s Britain’s Got the Pop Factor (music or variety program), Dispatches: Warlords Next Door? (political documentaries), Thriller in Manila (sports documentaries) and Battlefront (youth programs). Produced by Juniper Communications for Channel 4, The Qur’an was awarded in the category for social and humanitarian programs.

Wins for Canada came in the way of I Met the Walrus from Bravo! in the animation category, as well as National Film Board of Canada’s Paris 1919, which was recognized as the best history/biography program. Anaid Productions’ Family Restaurant: The Quons (Be Bold) for Food Network Canada took the spotlight in the lifestyle and information category. Inuit Odyssey, a Clearwater Media production for CBC Television and Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, won for best popular science and technology program. Canada also found a win in the sports entertainment realm, with CBC Television’s CBC’s Hockey Day in Canada.

ABC Studios’ Lost scored a win for the U.S. in the continuing series/serial category for the episode "The Constant." PBS International’s Heat won for environmental program. Also from the U.S., HBO’s John Adams came out on top in the mini-series category. 

Elsewhere in the world, Sweden’s Sveriges Television (SVT) scored a win for its children’s program Habib: The meaning of life/The ghost in the basement. From France, Oil for Fraud, a Maha Productions program for ARTE, was named best investigative and current affairs program; Skirt Day, an ARTE France production, was named best made-for-TV movie; and Gaza-Sderot: life in spite of everything, produced by Bo Travail in association with Alma Films, Trabelsi Productions, Ramattan Studio and Upian.com, was recognized as best original online program. ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation of the Philippines was awarded for its telenovela The Wolf (Lobo), while Japan’s NHK scored a win in the interactive category for best immersive entertainment program with BITWORLD: Rescue Toya!