UTV scooped two awards at the New York Festivals’ International Television and Film Awards in Las Vegas on Tuesday, April 11th. The Northern Ireland broadcaster saw wins for Mark McFadden in the categories of both Best News Reporter/ Correspondent and Coverage of On-Going News Story for his work on Bloody Sunday investigation, ‘Insight: Bloody Justice’. RTÉ won a Finalist Certificate for ‘RAW’ in the category of Mini-Series.
The event saw accolades paid to North West Correspondent, Mark McFadden who won a Gold World Medal for his coverage of the Saville Inquiry into Bloody Sunday. McFadden also presented ‘Bloody Justice’, which was produced and directed by Paul Clarke, which took a World Silver Medal in the documentary section. The investigation, broadcast on the eve of the publication of Lord Saville's report into the Bloody Sunday shootings,
Speaking from Las Vegas following his double win, Mark McFadden voiced his delight, saying:“To work on projects like this is a great privilege and responsibility. But it's very much a team effort. I know that we've won these awards thanks to the hard work, creativity and passion of all our colleagues at UTV."Director of UTV, Michael Wilson also commented on the wins, saying: “In a worldwide competition for the UTV team to walk away with two awards is something we are justifiably proud of. UTV has a commitment to news and current affairs that is recognised across the UK and Ireland. It is great to see it now acknowledged on a world stage.”
On the night a special Finalist Certificate prize was awarded to RTÉ in the category of Mini Series for the third series of restaurant drama series, ‘RAW’. The Ecosse Film/Octagon Films co-production directed by Simon Massey (Skins, The Bill) and Charlie McCarthy (Pure Mule) broadcast in January of this year. The other winner in the category on the night was fellow Finalist Certificate winner, ‘The Slave Hunters’ from KBS (The Korean Broadcasting System).
The International TV & Film Awards are organised as part of the New York Film Festival. They are presented in Las Vegas to coincide with the annual National Association of Broadcasters convention which attracts almost 100,000 television professionals from around the globe. The awards are decided by a Grand Jury of almost 200 directors, editors, producers, journalists and technicians from 30 countries. A full list of winners can be found at: www.newyorkfestivals.com
