The International Emmy Awards have always been a letdown. South Africa has consistently received nominations over the past few years and yet we walk away with nothing.
All that changed on Monday night (23 November) at the 43rd ceremony when controversial documentary
Miners Shot Down won the Emmy for Best Documentary.
Produced and directed by Rehad Desai of Uhuru Productions, the film has been an important part of the national discourse surrounding Marikana and has had a notable and genuine impact on the real world with public broadcasters refusing to air it because
they're too scared to! Both the SABC and e.tv have been petitioned to air it and both have refused.
Both are also
not airing the Emmy award ceremony. Someone should but they never do. South Africa has been represented at the International Emmys for years but none of our broadcasters air it for us when they should.
Here's a clip of Rehad accepting his award with cinematographer Jonathan Kovel, followed by all of the winners:
,
,
2015 winners
Documentary
Africa's Wild West - Stallions of the Namib Desert
Interspot Film / ORF / ARTE / NDR / ORF-Enterprise
Austria
Antes de que Nos Olviden (Before We Are Forgotten)
HBO Latin America
Mexico
Growing Up Down's
Maverick Television & Dartmouth Films
United Kingdom
Miners Shot Down
Uhuru Productions
South Africa
Comedy
Doce de Mae (Sweet Mother)
Globo TV
Brazil
Fais Pas Ci, Fais Pas Ca
(Don't Do This, Don't Do That)
Elephant Story / France 2 / AB Distribution
France
Familia en Venta
Fox International Channels / Fox Telecolombia
Colombia
Puppet Nation ZA
Both Worlds
South Africa
Sensitive Skin
Rhombus Media / Baby Cow Productions / Bell Media's The Movie Network / Corus Entertainment's Movie Central / Tricon Films & Television Canada / Media Fund (CMF) / Rogers Cable Network Fund
Canada
Non-Scripted Entertainment
50 Ways to Kill your Mammy
Burning Bright Productions / Brown Bread Productions
United Kingdom
Barones de la Cerveza
National Geographic Channel Latin America / Nippur Media
Argentina
Flying Doctors
Geronimo
Belgium
MasterChef South Africa
Quizzical Pictures / Lucky Bean Media
South Africa
Arts Programming
Buenaventura No Me Dejes Mas
(Buenaventura, Don't Leave Me)
Caracol Televisión / Laberinto Cine y Televisión
Colombia
Illustre & Inconnu:
Comment Jacques Jaujard a Sauvé le Louvre
(The Man Who Saved the Louvre)
Ladybird Films
France
Messiah at the Foundling Hospital
Reef Television Ltd
United Kingdom
Trial of Chunhyyang - A Girl Prosecuted by Feudalism
KBS
South Korea
Best Performance by an Actor
Engin Akyurek
in Kara Para Ask (Black Money Love)
Ay Yapim
Turkey
Emilio de Mello
in Psi (Psy)
HBO Latin America
Brazil
Maarten Heijmans
in Ramses
De Familie Film & TV
Netherlands
Rafe Spall
in Black Mirror White Christmas
House of Tomorrow / Endemol Worldwide Distribution
United Kingdom
Best Performance by an Actress
Anneke von der Lippe
in Øyevitne (Eyewitness)
NRK / SVT / DR / YLE Fem / Nordvision Fund.
Norway
Fernanda Montenegro
in Doce de Mãe
Globo TV
Brazil
Sheridan Smith
in Cilla
ITV Studios/GroupM Entertainment
United Kingdom
Drama Series
Engrenages (Spiral)
Son et Lumiere / Canal+ Creation originale
France
MOZU Season 1 - Night Cry of the MOZU
TBS Television / WOWOW / ROBOT
Japan
My Mad Fat Diary
Tiger Aspect Productions / Drama Republic
United Kingdom
Psi (Psy)
HBO Latin America
Brazil
Non-English U.S. Primetime Program
Arrepentidos U.S. - El Infierno de Montoya
National Geographic Channel / Fox Telecolombia
United States of America
El Mejor de los Peores
Fox International Channels / Fox Toma 1
United States of America
Narco Tec
Mazdoc / Zodiak Latino / Univision
United States of America
La Voz Kids
Talpa Media USA, Inc., Warner Horizon Television
United States of America
Telenovela
Ciega a Citas (Date Blind)
Dori Media International / Rosstoc / Mediaset Espana / Big Bang Media / Cuatro
Spain
Império (Empire)
Globo TV
Brazil
Jikulumessu
Semba Comunicação
Angola
Mulheres (Women)
Plural Entertainment Portugal
Portugal
TV Movie/Mini-Series
La Celebración
Underground Producciones
Argentina
Common
LA Productions
United Kingdom
Soldat Blanc (White Soldier)
Breakout Films / Canal+ Creation originale
France
Storytelling of Hostages
WOWOW / Twins Japan
Japan
International Emmy Directorate Award
Richard Plepler (Chairman and CEO of HBO)
International Emmy Founders Award
Julian Fellowes (Creator, writer and executive producer of Downton Abbey)