Aussie drama beats world's best for top prize at prestigious European TV awards
Other winners on the night included the documentary Rewilding Sharks, which explores efforts to restore shark populations in Indonesia's Raja Ampat, which received the Prince Rainier III Special Prize, and the French film L'Ange de Boutcha, about a French humanitarian who rescued over 200 civilians from Boutcha during the Ukraine conflict, which received the Monaco Red Cross Prize.
The Crystal Nymph, which recognises a career-long body of work, was awarded to American actress Robin Wright.
The festival organisers said Wright's work, from the films The Princess Bride and Forrest Gump, to the critically exalted television series House of Cards, had defined her as 'a leading figure in the global audiovisual landscape'.
Wright's award was personally presented by Monaco's Prince Albert II.
'It's about the contribution of artists in this industry, and how much they give,' Wright said in her acceptance speech. 'To have been in this industry as long as I have been, I feel very blessed.
'The magic of film and television and how we get to storytelling, is the most meaningful thing to me as an artist,' Wright added. 'It's the creativity and collaboration with everybody, to bring all of you to a point of emotion, whatever that emotion is.'
The festival's awards – the Golden Nymphs – are considered to be among the world's most prestigious television awards; the statuette is based on the 'Salmacis' Nymph by the Monegasque sculptor Francois Joseph Bosio.
The awards were handed out at a gala which closed the five-day television festival, one of several key dates in the TV calendar; others include Canneseries, which is held in Cannes, and next month's Italian Global Series Festival, which has moved from Rome to the Adriatic beach towns of Riccione and Rimini.
The Monte-Carlo Television Festival was founded by Monaco's late Prince Rainier III in 1961 and is now in its 64th year. It draws an eclectic mixture of Hollywood stars, news media and studio executives and European royalty.
It is held annually in the tiny European principality.
'There is no place like this on Earth,' Light told the audience at the gala, before introducing the winners of the fiction prizes. 'You take the beauty and the majesty of this place, and you put it together with so many visionary, creative, artistic souls, and you make magic for five glorious days.'
The five-day festival includes premiere screenings, an industry conference and, for the first time, an open international 'pitching' competition, offering a program development prize to the recipient. The winning pitch, for a project titled 30 Days Offline, was won by Bryant University student Beau Shugarts.
This year's festival guest list included Australian actor Rachel Griffiths, who joined Light on the festival's fiction jury. Other guests included Sarah Rafferty (Suits, Chicago Med), Heather Tom (The Bold and the Beautiful) and Famke Janssen (Nip/Tuck).
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