15th International Emmy Semi-Final Round of Judging in Cologne on Wednesday, 1 September

• Jury of 46 industry experts making nominations in three categories
• Presentation of the 49th International Emmy Awards in New York on 22 November, 2021
• iEmmys: partnership with NRW for the past 13 years
• Presentation of TV and series hub by the Federal State of NRW, LfM, Film- und Medienstiftung NRW

On Wednesday, 1 September, the Semi-Final Round of Judging will take place in Cologne for the 15th time and be held at Schloss Arff on this occasion. A jury of 46 film and television professionals will decide on the nominations in three categories on behalf of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The nominations for Best Performance by an Actress, Documentary and Comedy will be decided in Cologne this year. The  nominations in all 16 categories from around the world will be announced in the third week of September. It is already known that ZDF director-general Thomas Bellut will be honoured with the 2021 Directorate Award. The 49th International Emmy Awards gala will take place in New York on 22 November.

The Semi-Final Round of Judging in Cologne is being supported in 2021 by the Prime-Minister of the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, the Landesanstalt für Medien in NRW, Broadview TV, ZDF, WDR, RTL and MMC Studios. The German Academy Ambassador and Cologne-based producer Leopold Hoesch (Broadview TV) will be hosting the event as in previous years. Guests attending the Emmy evening cocktail in Cologne will include actress Anke Engelke, Alexander Bickel (WDR), actor Henning Baum, Frank-Dieter Freiling (ZDF), writer Ralf Husmann, Jörg Graf (RTL), the producer Philipp Käßbohrer (btf) as well as actress and iEmmy winner Anna Schudt. More than 30 semi-final jury sessions are held around the globe each year ahead of the awards to decide on the nominations. Cologne has been a venue for the judging since 2008.

The partnership between NRW and the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has existed for the past 13 years. The Filmstiftung, the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the State Media Authority present NRW as a film and series hub to participants from all over the world each November during the iEmmy Festival.

The internationalisation of the TV business and the trend towards high-end series have further enhanced the International Emmy Awards' position as the leading competition platform in the field of television.

For further information: Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, Tanja Güß, Tel.: 0211-93050-23,