BBC big winner at Banff Rockie Awards
The British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) picked up the $50,000 Global Television grand prize and a half a dozen other category awards at the 26^th Banff Rockie Awards in the evening on June 13 at the Banff World Television Festival. The BBC’s Blackpool was named the best-of-the festival by an international jury. The BCC was also awarded prizes for best information and current affairs program (Panorama: The New Killing Fields), best lifestyle program (What Not to Wear: Teenage Daughters), best performance program (Flashmob: The Opera), best unscripted entertainment program (Dragon’s Den) and best history and biography program (Storyville: House of Sand). Canada also did well, picking up Rockies for best animation program (Tales from the Crib), best comedy (Et Dieu crea Laflaque), best feature documentary (Shake Hands with the Devil), and a special jury prize (Hana’s Suitcase: An Odyssey of Hope). New this year, an all-Canadian jury awarded Shake Hands with the Devil the best Canadian program of this year’s Banff nominees. Officially opening the 26^th World Banff Television Festival earlier in day, Achilles Media CEO Robert Montgomery said, “It’s our hope that you will all be able to take full advantage of this vital and distinguished international event. Our goal is to affirm this festival’s status as the single most important meeting place specifically dedicated to television content creation and awards.” Author and former Canadian Forces Lt. General Romeo Dallaire followed Montgomery’s opening remarks with his keynote address that was an impassioned plea for the media to highlight injustices against humanity. He noted that not one journalist or media outlet ventured into the interior of Rwanda, where he served as the force commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission to the country, to report on the 1994 genocide. At that time, the media was preoccupied with the O.J. Simpson trial and Tanya Harding, he noted.

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