Mipcom Cannes Diversity TV Awards Unveiled

Tuesday afternoon, a joyful crowd of industryites gathered at the Grand Auditorium in Cannes  for the 8^th Mipcom Cannes Diversity TV Awards, introduced on stage by Mipcom director Lucy Smith as “the industry’s only awards to champion and promote diversity and inclusion in all its forms in the international television industry.”

Standing next to her, Mark Garner, head of Global FAST for A&E Networks, and MIP Markets’ Diversity Advisory Board member added: “I’m proud to be a continuous founding sponsor of the Awards, highlighting the “stumbling” debuts of the awards “in a hidden cocktail bar in Cannes.” Garner underscored that since then, diversity voices have grown, and his group’s mission is to mentor those of the future. “When we commit to elevate authentic voices, we get spectacular voices,” he said.

The ceremony was again hosted by Femi Oke, media expert and co-founder of the diverse moderators’ bureau “Moderate The Panel,” together with high profile British actor, broadcaster and disability advocate, Adam Pearson. The neurofibromatosis-diagnosed actor who starred in the celebrated movie “A Different Man”, said: “This [Diversity] TV show is hugely important and I want to thank the passionate creatives, desperate to be a force of change and a force of good. Thanks to be part of this journey”.

At his side as co-presenter, the radiant and glittery French drag queen advocate and performer Nicky Doll, who carried the Olympic torch at the recent Paris Olympic Games added: “This is an honor for me to bring people together. I feel many voices come together when we create such events. It’s about creating spaces for everybody to shine.”

First awarded to a cheering audience, the “Behind the Scenes Impact Award” was handed out to Banijay Launch. The initiative is described as a “global accelerator program that discovers and empowers emerging female creators, pairing them with Banijay Entertainment’s global network of creatives with the aim of helping them develop bold new format form concept to sale.” 

Picking up the award onstage, Endemol Shine North America CEO Sharon Levy said the initiative was quintessential to her group to “open up opportunities for women, help them come up with new ideas and have a seat at a table they donl’t normality get.”

Levy took the opportunity to announce that a second round of applications for the coveted Behind the Scenes Impact Award was now open.

Among the nine awards handed out to nominees hailing from 11 countries, the U.K. took home the most wins.

The Representation of LGBTQIA+ – Scripted Award went to BBC’s queer drama about adoption “Lost Boys & Fairies,” produced by Duck Soup Films. In it, we follow the tender, fictional story of Gabriel, a singer at Cardiff’s queer club ‘Neverland,’ his partner Andy, and their adoption journey. Gabriel must confront his complex history and embark on self-discovery to parent seven-year-old Jake. 

The show, repped by All3Media has been a hot tickets at  fiction festivals since year, grabbing the Seriescamp Official Competition Award, Best European Fiction at the Festival de la Fiction de la Rochelle and the Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards. Arte France announced it will air the three-part series in 2025.

Another hot British diversity program, Channel 5’s documentary “White Nanny Black Child,” a winner in May of the BAFTA TV winner Specialist Factual, was handed out in Cannes the prize for Representation of Race and Ethnicity Award-Non Scripted.

The film, directed by Andy Mundy-Catle, tracks the story of more than 70,000 West African children who were fostered unofficially by white British families between 1955-1995.

A moved Oke told the Mipcom audience  that this was also her own story, as a child from Nigerian parents who was raised temporarily raised by a foster white family.

The Doc Hearts and TigeLily Production co-financed by BFI Doc Society first aired on Channel 5 last fall. Netflix acquired streaming rights the UK and Ireland from Together Films. 

Also from the U.K., the ITV/Britbox commissioned “Three Little Birds” scooped the Representation of Race and Ethnicity-Scripted Award. Produced by Tiger Aspect Productions in association with Douglas Road Production, the inclusive six-part drama series tells of three woman who travel to Britain from Jamaica in the late 1950s to start a new life in the “mother country.” The program was created and written by Lenny Henry, and inspired by his mother’s journey from Clarendon, Jamaica to Dudley, West Midlands.Banijay Rights handles sales.

Second on the list of winning countries, Canada – one of the main sponsors via Telefilm Canada and Canada Media Fund – was honored in two categories.

“The show “Y a Une étoile” (“There’s a Star”) produced by Bellefeuille Production for Unis TV won the Representation of LGBTQIA+-Non Scripted Award. The program turns on Samuel LeBlanc, a young transgender musician, who embarks with his friends on a musical journey through the work of Acadian musician Angèle Arsenault. Film Option Int’l handles sales.

In the Pre-School category where Canada often excels, the program “Wordsville” produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment grabbed the Representation of Diversity in Kids Programme Award. The literary mystery series ordered by TVOKids & PBS Thirteen follows nine-year-old best friends and Word Detectives Gabby and Sly as they solve word mysteries in the kid-run town of Wordsville.

From France, the hit coming-of age dramedy “One of Us” Season 2, about tolerance and inclusivity, took home the Representation of Disability-Scripted Award. The inaugural season was a hit on leading French private broadcaster TF1 and won best series at the 202 Festival de la Fiction de la Rochelle. Season 2 was produced by Federation Studios’ Habanita Federation, in coproduction with TF1, Be-FILMS and RTBF.

Taking the stage to pick up the award from the hands of Pearson, Federation’s head of special operations Jean-Michel at Federation International said: “I’m so happy. It’s a fantastic show, so real, and it’s been a beautiful experience [for me] to follow the amazing story. The seasoned sales executive praised TF1 for “putting this show on primetime TV. This would have been impossible before,” he noted.

Norway, another champion of diversity and inclusion, scooped the Representation of Dasability-Non Scripted Award with “Gigantene” (“The Giants”), produced by Teddy TV for pubcaster NRK. The six-part docu series directed by Anders Haavie follows Norway’s first national football team for little people. Through a year of training and their first participation in World Dwarf Games, we get a warm and honest look into the life of the players and the challenges they face.

Elsewhere, Australian Arboriginal ethnic minority was celebrated through the heart-warming family film “Windcatcher,” winner of the Representation of Diversity in Kids Programming-Older Children.

The feature directed by Tanith Glynn-Maloney turns on Percy Boy Collins (10) and his friends as they outsmart a gang of bullies to triumph at their school’s athletics carnival, emerging as heroes of their own epic adventure. The pic, produced by Unless Pictures and Every Cloud Productions was the very first co-commissioned original between  streamer Stan and the Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF).

Other key supporters of the event were Webedia and All3Media International.