NRW delegation at the 49th International Emmys in New York

The International Emmy Awards were held yesterday evening in New York. A delegation of television professionals from North Rhine-Westphalia was present (from left to right): Jens Wolf (MMC), Benjamina Mirnik-Voges (Disney+), athlete Edwin Moses, Henning Baum, Petra Müller (Film- und Medienstiftung NRW), Leopold Hoesch (Broadview TV and iEmmys ambassador), Michael Souvignier (Zeitsprung), Henning Tewes, Oliver Schablitzki (both RTL), Nina Klink (Seapoint), and Lutz Heineking jr. (eitelsonnenschein). As Germany’s leading television hub, NRW has been a partner of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the past 13 years. New York is currently recording low case rates, the Awards Gala was held adhering to strict Coronavirus guidelines.

The Awards Ceremony was hosted by the US actress Yvonne Orji ("Insecure"). The 2021 Directorate Award for ZDF Director-General Thomas Bellut was presented by the basketball legend Dirk Nowitzki. Other presenters included Vanessa Williams ("Ugly Betty," "Desperate Housewives"), Aidan Quinn ("Elementary"), Brian d’Arcy James ("Dead Girls Don’t Lie"), the rapper Method Man, Piper Perabo ("Covert Affairs," "Notorious"), Emeraude Toubia ("Shadowhunters"), Wilson Cruz ("Star Trek: Discovery," "13 Reasons Why") and the Brazilian football player Felipe Santana.

The iEmmy Semi-Final Judgings are held around the globe during the summer to decide on the nominations for the most important international competition in the field of television. In August, Leopold Hoesch, the German ambassador of the International Emmys,  hosted the iEmmy Semi-Final Judging in Cologne. This year saw the jurors deciding on the German nominations for the categories of 'Best Performance by an Actress', 'Documentary' and 'Comedy'.