Berry Bees Honored at Diversity Media Awards

Berry Bees has earned Italy’s prestigious Diversity Media Award 2020 for the Best Kids Series of the Year.

The Diversity Media Awards recognize media content that stands out for its inclusive representation of gender and gender identity, sexual and emotional orientation, ethnicity, age, generation and disabilities. The ceremony was held on Sunday, November 29, with the awards ceremony streamed live online.

Berry Bees features three talented 10-year-old girls—seemingly ordinary school-age children who have been selected by the B.I.A. (Bee Intelligence Agency) for special spy missions in which only child agents can be involved. It is an international co-production between Atlantyca, SLR Productions, Telegael and Studio Cosmos-Maya, with the participation of Rai Ragazzi and NINE Network. The series is broadcast on Rai Gulp.

The organization behind the Diversity Media Awards noted: “The award is given based on votes cast by the audience (voting online) and the opinions of the Diversity commission. Berry Bees has proven to be not only the most popular kids’ series, but has been highly appreciated by the commission for the way it addresses issues of female empowerment and ethnicity with its three non-stereotypical main characters, making it a unique product on the Italian market”.

Caterina Vacchi, Atlantyca executive producer and head of the production and distribution department, said: “I am particularly proud of this award. The goal we set for ourselves from the very beginning of the production was to create a series that was free of all gender stereotypes and would represent all children all over the world. Rai Ragazzi eagerly supported our decision from the very beginning. We worked hard with scriptwriters, directors and artists to develop real, all-around characters that would represent all cultures. A series stories-centered and where the genre of the series (spy), not the gender of the main characters, defines our target. An inclusive series in every sense of the word.”

Niccolò Sacchi, Atlantyca executive producer and Berry Bees director, added: “As a director, working alongside our Australian, Indian and Irish co-producers has been a really interesting challenge, as well as representing the global audience and all its ethnic groups and cultures. I firmly believe that children love a good story and get attached to real characters, regardless of their gender and skin color. Children are much less conditioned by prejudices than we adults are. So, directing Berry Bees was a bit like becoming a child again, divesting myself of any conditioning and looking at the world from a purer, truer perspective. I am really proud that all the good work we put in has been given recognition with this beautiful award.”