CIRCOM Regional

Details: Published: 07 May 2013

Video clips of winners and commended available on CIRCOM Channel, playlist Prix CIRCOM 2013

pdf n Prix CIRCOM 2013 Jury report

The Prix award ceremony (May 5th 2013, 21.00, Santiago de Compostela) will be televised and streamed on http://www.crtvg.es/crtvg/canles-tematicas/circom

GRAND PRIX 2013 WINNER
(also winner in Investigative Journalism category)

TELIASONERA – THE UZBEK AFFAIR (TELIASONERA – THE UZBEK AFFAIR), SVT Göteborg, Sweden
TeliaSonera is Scandinavia’s largest telecom company and a major player in the world. The publicly owned company has for several years expanded its activities into the East and the former Soviet Union countries.
In a previous investigation, SVT Göteborg showed how TeliaSonera assisted anti-democratic governments to monitor and track down citizens via their mobile phones operated by TeliaSonera. The story led to a huge debate in Scandinavia and the team continued to investigate the company.
In this entry, SVT Göteborg examines how TeliaSonera found out about the licenses to operate in the first place. Their investigation discovered that TeliaSonera had paid billions to offshore companies that acted as “middle hands” to the family of the dictator in Uzbekistan and thus bribed their way to business. This story, as well, led to a major debate in government and several of the board members lost their jobs.
The entry is a school book example of how a thorough investigation effectively can be told in an intriguing and gripping way. The judges appreciated the precision in the storytelling as well as the tenacity of the reporters – they were simply determined to get an answer on the question: “Did TeliaSonera intentionally bribe the President’s daughter to get hold of the telephone licenses of Uzbekistan?”
The judges considered the investigation to be so good and convincing that it was without doubt the winner of the category.

Jury comments on winners and commended (as in Jury Repport):

DOCUMENTARY

Winner: MY FATHER'S FAULT (LA FAUTE À MON PÈRE), France 3 Centre, France
Chloé Barreau tells the story of her father: a priest, 39 years old, who decided to get married in 1971. He created a big scandal, and became an author of bestselling books and a regular guest on talkshows. He exposed a conflict that was hidden in society. The question of celibacy is still discussed today in the Roman Catholic Church. Chloé tells stories of their family in great detail, alongside excellent archive material. This was an extremely well crafted portrait of her father and an emotional exploration of his motivation: love.
“La faute à mon père” (My father‘s fault) is a personal and very emotional story about a man who is in doubt, deciding between love and his church. It is an impressive and well-told story. It contains excellent use of archive material and although a historic story, is a subject that is still topical today.

Commended: CHASERS OF THE DARK (LOVCI TEME), RTV Slovenija - Center Koper/Capodistria, Slovenia
This documentary dispels a myth about who were the pioneers of underwater photography. It is ofen thought that the German Haas Haas built the first camera housings in 1937. However, in the same year, a group of Slovakian teenagers, fascinated by the flora and fauna, built their own diving equipment and took underwater photos over a period of years. This hidden story tells the human passion and never-ending yearning to discover the unknown. The judges clearly loved this story, told wonderfully with archive moving image and evocative still photography.

MAGAZINE AND NEWS MAGAZINE

Winner: BBC MIDLANDS TODAY, BBC West Midlands (Birmingham), UK

The winning entry is an outstanding example of how a regional news magazine programme should handle a major story. This was a team effort which brought together journalists and production technology to tell the tragic story of a hospital which failed to care for its patients.
Staff at the local Stafford Hospital were found to have routinely mistreated patients, leading to injury and more than 100 deaths. It was a major scandal which created a crisis for the National Health Service in the UK. The programme was produced on the same day the official report into what went wrong was published.
There was live presentation from outside the hospital and a live interview with a Government Minister in Westminster. There were well-prepared and crisp reports, focusing on the bereaved families as well as the management and political issues. Experts gave their views and we learned about changes going forwards as well as a looking back to the reasons it happened.
It was an emotional and major story told with technical professionalism and journalistic judgement of the highest standard. It should be noted also that a further special programme was transmitted in the region later the same evening: “The Hospital That Didn’t Care“.

Commended: THAT'S EUROPE?! (C'EST ÇA L'EUROPE ?!), RTBF, Belgium

“C‘est ça, l‘Europe ?!” is a citizen magazine co-produced between RTBF and TV5 MONDE, with an aim to make an attractive and educational programme, once a month.
The judges found the programme dynamic, especially the transition between studio and report. We liked the backstage camera and the animation, which helped viewers to identify with the issues. The rhythm of the programme was attractive, showing different angles to the same issue. The programme was viewer focussed, allowing them to post questions to guests in the studio.
The judges commended this programme because it really helps to build interest as a EU citizen with European affairs. We also saw the limits of letting the European institutions solve problems. Maybe the guests in studio could also have been experts, rather than politicians.

VIDEO JOURNALISM

Winner: PATRIK WIDEGREN, SVT Norrköping

Patrik Widegren is the sole journalist from the station covering an island community. This winning entry gave a rare combination of professional quality film-making and editing with good quality daily journalism, plus engaging on-screen performance – quite an achievement for one person.
The first of the three films was a long-running story about a proposed limestone quarry on the island. This report had everything: solid journalism with both sides of the argument (environment vs economic benefit) covered, good actuality filmed on location, well delivered pieces to camera and outstandingly edited sequences. Even the necessary but visually dull phone interview was creatively handled with reverse shots of the reporter asking the questions.
There was also a well-judged piece about a woman whose son killed his partner, and her suffering as result of his crime.
Finally there was another beautifully-shot piece that was made and edited on the day, about flight delays on the island caused by the collapse of an airline. For a community to have a video journalist of that quality providing their news is a real asset.

Commended: RAZVAN DAN COJOCARIU, TVR Iasi, Romania

This had the strongest journalism of any entry in the video journalist category. This outweighed the fact that technical aspects of the filming and editing were less strong than other entries. But the sheer editorial power of the content makes it worthy of being commended. These were strong stories with real journalistic intent.
The first film shows how people struggle to get medical assistance in an area where a new hospital has been closed by the Health Ministry due to lack of funding. The second story is about a hundred children forced to travel to school in an overcrowded mini-bus every day even though they have a school in the same village as their home. The third story showed excellent newsgathering in bitter winter conditions to reveal how 200 people survived a snowstorm close to the border with Moldova.
The entry might well have won the category if the journalist had been allowed to let more of the great material run to greater length which would have aided the telling of these stories.

SPORT

Winner: THE LAST BIKER (DE LÊSTE FYTSER), Omroep Fryslan, The Netherlands

A thoroughly enjoyable, funny, touching and human documentary, taking a creative approach to coverage of the regular 235 km / 11-city cycletour: following the man who came last.
The programme-maker‘s all-round skills were exemplary – storytelling, journalism, filming and post. Questions asked along the way were particularly effective, bringing out what made this character such a gift - he talked about cycling technique, how he got to the race and was getting home afterwards and whether he had supporters.
There was excellent use of music and it was good to bring in the supplementary characters – the two lads cheering for example - and the conflict with the race organisers as the deadline passed.
We felt his pain, especially with the bitter-sweet denoument of getting the medal even though he wasn’t allowed to finish the race. Considering the lack of light, this was very well-shot. An excellent short documentary, a must-see, and a worthy winner in a highly competitive category.

MINORITIES IN SOCIETY

Winner: STRANGE FOLKS (VRAEM LUUJ DIE PLAT KALLE), L1 Radio-TV, The Netherlands

Strange Folks tells four stories about minorites within minorities: first and second generation immigrants, adapting to speak the minority Limbergs dialect / language spoken in the south of the Netherlands. They are also integrating themselves in the local community – through work and involvement in local societies.
This was a very well made film: every shot is thought-through and beautifully constructed, to the quality of a theatrical release. The film is edited to give the viewer space, allowing the storytelling to grow on you. Music is unobtrusive and well-chosen.
Within this strong framework, we have a film whose subject matter challenges pre-conceptions, via a positive and enjoyable tone. A clear winner for this category.

Commended: INSIDE OUT WEST, BBC West (Bristol), UK

Journalist and wheelchair user Paul Carter went undercover to expose estate agents who ignore the practical issues around disabled living. In doing so, he demonstrated that it is the designed environment and not the disability which is the real problem.
The findings were shocking. Of five properties estate agents advertised as accessible for Paul, only one actually was. In one case, even though there were three steps to get in the front door, the estate agent insisted on continuing his sales pitch for another ten minutes - meanwhile Paul was unable to enter the front door.
The film highlighted what disabled groups and charities have said is a major issue and a source of constant frustration for their members.
The reporter was a very engaging presenter and there was good use of secret filming. The personal nature of the storytelling enhanced the quality of the film.

MOST ORIGINAL PROGRAMME

Winner: THE SECRETS OF THE GLOM MOUNTAIN (GLOMFJELLETS HEMMELIGHETER), NRK Rogaland, Norway

Tom the nature cameraman takes his teenage daughter along on a personal journey back to the mysterious mountain that he explored as a child. With his camera, we will go into caves and crevices, find fabulous animals and monsters and move through labyrinths where the walls are decorated in the most fantastic patterns by nature itself.
The programme shows originality in its personal approach, special camerawork and involvement of his family: it captures our imagination and surprises us. The pictures are amazing – many sequences have been filmed from an original point of view and we can also see some special effects.
We can easily understand Tom’s passion for nature, especially for this Glom Mountain region, a nature reserve, to which his childhood memories are bound. The gap between generations is stressed as he fails to convince his daughter that nature is beautiful and that you should respect it.

Commended: IT IS NOT THE PIGEONS - SPECIAL CLAIRVOYANCE (ON N'EST PAS DES PIGEONS - SPÉCIALE VOYANCE), RTBF, Belgium

It would be an undersell to call this a consumer programme. This programme is transmitted in evening shoulder peak on RTBF’s flagship channel and it has all the qualities you would expect in a modern, appealing factual show. There is regular intervention from social media and support information. It is not surprising that its viewing ratings are high – indeed, the highest that RTBF has achieved at such a key transmission time.
This episode explains the tricks of the trade of astrologers, fortune tellers, tarot card readers and psychics with the help of undercover operations, which forewarn the public (600 euros to contact your dead cat, sir?). The impact of this was that other, commercial stations decided to cut some such shows from their schedules.
The programme is presented in a pacy and zany style, with engaging presenters who add humour to some serious consumer advice. It works as an investigative programme and as an entertainment show.
Great fun: great value: and a highly original approach.

INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM

Winner: TELIASONERA – THE UZBEK AFFAIR (TELIASONERA – THE UZBEK AFFAIR), SVT Göteborg, Sweden
TeliaSonera is Scandinavia’s largest telecom company and a major player in the world. The publicly owned company has for several years expanded its activities into the East and the former Soviet Union countries.
In a previous investigation, SVT Göteborg showed how TeliaSonera assisted anti-democratic governments to monitor and track down citizens via their mobile phones operated by TeliaSonera. The story led to a huge debate in Scandinavia and the team continued to investigate the company.
In this entry, SVT Göteborg examines how TeliaSonera found out about the licenses to operate in the first place. Their investigation discovered that TeliaSonera had paid billions to offshore companies that acted as “middle hands” to the family of the dictator in Uzbekistan and thus bribed their way to business. This story, as well, led to a major debate in government and several of the board members lost their jobs.
The entry is a school book example of how a thorough investigation effectively can be told in an intriguing and gripping way. The judges appreciated the precision in the storytelling as well as the tenacity of the reporters – they were simply determined to get an answer on the question: “Did TeliaSonera intentionally bribe the President’s daughter to get hold of the telephone licenses of Uzbekistan?”
The judges considered the investigation to be so good and convincing that it was without doubt the winner of the category.

Commended: THE SHIP-SINKING (SKIBSFORLISET I KATTEGAT), TV2 Oestjylland, Denmark
This investigation focuses on maritime safety. It unveils a series of mistakes in a rescue operation that led to the deaths of two sailors.
In the aftermath of the collision of the two boats, the police continued to make mistakes and justice was never served until the reporters started their investigation. There is good use of documents, testimonies and interviews. Layer upon layer of errors by the Danish authorities are exposed.
With equal doses of humanity, empathy and precision, this is a very good example of why investigative journalism is important: only through this work did the family get some clarity, if not their loved ones, back.

THE RISING STAR

Winner: ROSEN TSVETKOV, BNT, Bulgaria
Rosen is no stranger to the Prix as he was commended last year for his Votes for Rent report in the Investigative Journalism category and was commended also in this category. There is no doubt that he is a competent and questioning reporter with an eye for a very human approach in his stories. He is brave also and his hidden camera work is outstanding and revelatory.
He has now made 10 documentaries for his channel and has been producing a “Cold Case” review series. There will no doubt be more reports of excellence. The judges would have liked to have seen more of his work facing the camera but there is no doubt that he has presence and authority on screen. This is a fine talent who arguably already is a “star”.

Commended: MATHIAS LUNDE KRISTOFFERSEN, NRK Østfold, Norway
Mathias shows great maturity for a presenter aged 23 and has an engaging personality. He excels in a wide range of skills. His showreel demonstrates his qualities as a reporter and as a VJ, and in a live situation on location.
However, he also presents a quiz show for children and acts as a news anchor. In this last capacity, he still needs to add a stronger studio presence – which no doubt will come with age and experience. He has a promising future.

FICTION/DRAMA

Winner: YELLOW DOG (ЖЪЛТО КУЧЕ), BNT, Bulgaria

This is a clever short film based on the assumption that one can go from one place to another by travelling through two inter-connected washing machines. One machine is in the home of a young writer in Bulgaria and the other washing machine is in the home of a children’s book illustrator in Japan. Perhaps a crazy idea but it worked! Each artist is seeking something magical in their work and they find it in this film.
The judges were immediately taken with this story that was clever and well told. The five actors were very good, the direction was excellent and the pacing and editing just right. The animation and illustrations added the extra dimension and the music topped it all.
The jury chose this as the winner because it had all the ingredients of an excellent production – story, script, camera work, acting, direction and editing. A true winner!

Commended: THE TWELVE MONTHS (DVANACT MESICKU), Czech TV Studio Ostrava, Czech Republic

This is an adaptation of a classical fairy tale story similar to Cinderella for a family audience. It differs from the Cinderella story as the main character has to complete 3 difficult tasks. The story has a wicked stepmother, two daughters and a handsome prince - all the ingredients of a good story.
Judges loved the camera work and lighting. The story was well told and acted. It was good to add the traditional local cures. The orchestration enhanced the story and the pacing was good for this type of story and for its audience.
Overall an excellent production and therefore commended highly.

SOCIAL INTERACTION AND VIEWER SUPPORT

Winner: ONION SERIES (UIENSERIE), RTV Noord-Holland, The Netherlands

RTV Noord found an ingenious way to involve a lot of people to help a farmer get rid of a shed full of onions. The reporter/cameraman made a television series as he calls the audience to action across social media. Newspapers picked up the story and soon the farmer was famous. By using the website, the internet and radio local, citizens came up with many ways of dealing with the excess onions – both useful and absurd! The cameraman tried some of these ways in his TV series.
This was a highly successful cross-media approach with strong content and it demonstrates how a station can engage its audience around an event which brings them together.

Commended: PEOPLE TELL THE STORY, ERT3, Greece

In 2012 Thessaloniki celebrated the centenary of its liberation. ERT3 called the audience to action by asking them to send in material from their past which contributes in telling the history of Thessaloniki.
The response was amazing! People offered films, photos and other treasures to the journalists who could then make relevant authentic documentaries to be broadcast throughout the year.
The jury was impressed with the highly successful cross-media approach and demonstrated how a station could engage its audience around a special event. It also demonstrated how television and the internet are not competitive media and can work symbiotically together.

The full list of category awards and sponsors is: Documentary (Dutch Cultural Media Fund, The Netherlands), Minorities in Society (France Télévisions, France), Video Journalism (BBC, UK), Magazine and News Magazine (euronews), Rising Star (TVR, Romania), Most Original (RTVSLO, Slovenia), Social Interaction and Viewer Support (SVT, Sweden), Sport (ERT3, Greece), Fiction/Drama (TG4, Ireland), Investigative Journalism (Council of Europe).

In addition, the Grand Prix is sponsored by European and global satellite distribution company, SES, and will be awarded to the best programme of all entries at a gala event at the CIRCOM Conference in Santiago de Compostela on 8 May..