2021 saw the 5th anniversary of the DiversifyTV Excellence Awards and they returned to MIPCOM being held on October 5th in the Grand Palais Auditorium in Cannes. The star-studded awards ceremony was hosted by actor and writer Salif Cissé and can be watched below:
Representation of LGBTQIA+: Scripted
Production company: RED Production Company for Channel 4 and HBO Max in association with All3Media International
Distributor: All3Media International
Original Broadcaster: Channel 4, UK
Country of origin: UNITED KINGDOM
Short Synopsis: It's 1981, the start of a new decade and Ritchie, Roscoe and Colin begin a new life in London. Strangers at first, these young gay lads, and their best friend Jill, find themselves thrown together, and soon share each other's adventures. But a new virus is on the rise, and soon their lives will be tested in ways they never imagined. As the decade passes, and they grow up in the shadow of AIDS, they're determined to live and love more fiercely than ever.
Production company: Autonomouse
Distributor: The Yellow Affair
Original Broadcaster: Hulu
Country of origin: NEW ZEALAND
Short Synopsis: After skipping town a decade ago, transgender activist Caz Davis returns to the remote, politically divided dairy community of Rūrangi, hoping to reconnect with his estranged father, who hasn't heard from him since before Caz transitioned.
Production company: Camille Zonca
Distributor: beteve / Camille Zonca
Original Broadcaster: beteve
Country of origin: SPAIN
Short Synopsis: Andrea is a trans boy who has no other choice but to stay at his grandmother's during the lockdown. The woman seems to be a mischievous and mysterious lady whom he hardly knows anything. Locked up at home, away from social judgments on his gender identity, and safe from his complicated love affairs, Andrea will make important decisions about his transit and what his body - and his heart - really needs.
The winner can be viewed here.
Production company: VICE Studios
Distributor: VICE Distribution
Original Broadcaster: VICE TV
Country of origin: UNITED KINGDOM
Short Synopsis: VICE VERSA: The Neglected Pandemic, 40 Years of HIV & AIDS, is a comprehensive look at what it is to be HIV positive in the United States in 2021, narrated by Emmy-nominated television personality, New York Times best-selling author and activist Jonathan Van Ness. The two-hour documentary, produced by VICE Studios, debuted on June 2, 202 and marked the 40th anniversary of HIV/AIDS in the USA.
Production company: VICE Studios
Distributor: OutTV and Fuse Media
Original Broadcaster: OutTV and Fuse Media - co-licenses/co-premiered
Country of origin: CANADA
Short Synopsis: SHINE TRUE is a 8 x 30 minute documentary series celebrating the trans and gender non-conforming community by helping them overcome dysphoria and anxiety, and getting them to a place where they can freely and finally present the way they feel.
Production company: Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Distributor: ABC Commercial
Original Broadcaster: Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Country of origin: AUSTRALIA
Short Synopsis: Funny, moving, life changing - The unique series that explores and embraces our differences. Featuring participants from all walks of life, this episode features 9 empowered women who talk about it's like to be a lesbian - the fascination to fetishisation of what they do in the bedroom, and what it's like when your world isn't centered around men.
The winner can be viewed here.
Production company: Kalel Productions
Distributor: NBCUniversal Formats
Original Broadcaster: Channel 4
Country of origin: UNITED KINGDOM
Short Synopsis: Black millionaire investor Eric Collins offers his unrivalled business expertise AND hundreds of thousands of pounds of his own money to small, struggling, and largely underrepresented British businesses, to help turn their fortunes around and save jobs in the process. Will he make a profit or lose all his money?
Exterminate All the Brutes
Production company: HBO Documentary Films, Velvet Film
Distributor: Sky Documentaries
Original Broadcaster: Sky Documentaries
Country of origin: UNITED KINGDOM
Short Synopsis: Raoul Peck delivers an incisive examination of Western colonialism and the impact of white supremacist ideology on today's world.
Toni Morrison - Black Matter(s)
Production company: ROCHE PRODUCTIONS
Distributor: ARTE Distribution
Original Broadcaster: ARTE France
Country of origin: FRANCE
Short Synopsis: A portrait of the first Black female writer who won the Noble Prize in 2019, became a figurehead of African-American literature and gave a voice to the unheard. She, who Barack Obama remembered as « a national treasure » the day after she died, has considerably marked the History of the United States through her commitments and the literary and cultural revolution she has initiated.
The winner can be viewed here.
Production company: Working Title Television, which is a part of NBCUniversal International Studios
Distributor: NBCUniversal Global Distribution
Original Broadcaster: Channel 4/Peacock (US)
Country of origin: UNITED KINGDOM
Short Synopsis: "We Are Lady Parts" is an anarchic and irreverent comedy following a Muslim female punk band - called Lady Parts - who are on a mission to find a lead guitarist and maybe, just maybe, get a proper gig.
Production company: Tony Ayres Productions, Kevin & Co. and Flat3
Distributor: NBCUniversal Global Distribution
Original Broadcaster: TVNZ
Country of origin: NEW ZEALAND
Short Synopsis: Eight years ago, a viral plague swept through humanity, decimating all of the world's men. Women have inherited the earth, but unless they can find a way to rid their own bodies of the virus to produce boy babies, the human race will be extinct within two lifetimes.
Production company: Big Deal Films Ltd Distributor: BBC
Original Broadcaster: BBC iPlayer
Country of origin: UNITED KINGDOM
Short Synopsis: Kwabena is an aspiring filmmaker trapped in his recruitment job. When he is given the opportunity he's always dreamed of, is he brave enough to chase it?
The winner can be viewed here.
Production company: KBS
Distributor: KBS Media
Original Broadcaster: KBS
Country of origin: KOREA
Short Synopsis: Two special young people, Park Ji-ho, a bodybuilder, and Lim Cho-rok, a school counselor, open their hearts before the Camera. Both have Tourette's syndrome that involves abrupt repetition of unspecified actions (motor ticks) or strange sounds (phonic ticks). For those who suffer from this syndrome, it is an intimidating task to perform daily missions, for example, being on public transportation. The treatment or cure for this syndrome has not been discovered yet. Ji-ho and Cho-rok don't want to give up. They want to share their stories with the world and to be accepted as who they are.
Mission: Accessible
Production company: Rockerdale Studios
Distributor: N/A
Original Broadcaster: Channel 4
Country of origin: UNITED KINGDOM
Short Synopsis: Rosie Jones smashes stereotypes in this playful travel show, by becoming tour guide to disabled people. For each tailor-made accessible break she hears the needs of a disabled individual: like a wheelchair user wanting a barge trip, or an amputee wanting a tall man with a big bum. The comedian, who has Cerebral Palsy, wants everyone to enjoy the UK. As she experiences ghost tours, gliding and gay bars she's joined by comics like James Acaster, who don't always love her ideas. Axethrowing anyone?
Production company: Drummer TV
Distributor: BSLBT
Original Broadcaster: Film 4
Country of origin: UNITED KINGDOM
Short Synopsis: Six members of the Deaf community recall the fear that gripped Britain during the Covid-19 crisis, and give us an insight into how the pandemic and lockdown affected their lives.
The winner can be viewed here.
Production company: Caminando
Distributor: Newen Connect
Original Broadcaster: TF1
Country of origin: FRANCE
Short Synopsis: We follow Laura, our young heroine with Down's Syndrome, as she starts a new and perilous stage in her life three years after graduating from high school. Laura is determined to spread her wings and leave the family nest, launching into adulthood.
Production company: MarVista Entertainment, Neshama Entertainment, Vroom
Distributor: MarVista Entertainment
Original Broadcaster: Lifetime
Country of origin: CANADA
Short Synopsis: A struggling romance novelist heads to her favorite bed & breakfast for Christmas to cure her writer's block and finds her own fairytale romance in the process.
Six Degrees
Production company: Encore Television inc. Distributor: Encore Television-Distribution inc.
Original Broadcaster: Société Radio-Canada | Tou.tv Extra
Country of origin: CANADA
Short Synopsis: Leon Forest is a visually impaired 16-year-old who lives outside Montreal. He is completely blind in one eye, but he can see exactly six degrees (out of a normal 180 degrees) in his other eye. Raised and homeschooled by his single mother, Leon's insulated world falls apart when she suddenly dies. Leon moves to the city to live with his biological father, Francis, his wife and their four children. Leon is grieving the loss of his mother, but also making many new and exciting discoveries.
The winner can be viewed here.
16 Hudson
Production company: Big Bad Boo Studios
Distributor: Big Bad Boo Studios
Original Broadcaster: TVO
Country of origin: CANADA
Short Synopsis: The show follows Lili, Sam, Amala and Luc as they explore their small neighborhood at "16 Hudson" and show us what friendship is all about. Holiday specials celebrate Chinese New Year, Diwali, and Persian New Year through the eyes of these kids.
JoJo and Gran Gran
Production company: BBC Children's In-House Productions for CBeebies in collaboration with A Productions
Distributor: CBeebies
Original Broadcaster: CBeebies and BBC iPlayer
Country of origin: UNITED KINGDOM
Short Synopsis: JoJo & Gran Gran is an animated series about an almost five year-old girl and her fun and wise grandmother. They live close by to one another in a bustling London neighbourhood and Gran Gran always has something fun planned for when JoJo comes to visit. JoJo adores Gran Gran and the time they spend together. Gran Gran is very proud of her Saint Lucian heritage and is always happy when she has an opportunity to teach JoJo about the country's culture.
Mira, Royal Detective
Production company: Wild Canary Animation / Technicolor India
Distributor: Disney
Original Broadcaster: Disney Junior
Country of origin: UNITED STATES
Short Synopsis: In "The Eid Mystery," MIra, the royal detective, must help her friend Sadia search for a lost Eidi envelope - and along the way Mira learns how to celebrate the joyful Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
The winner can be viewed here.
Production company: Sinking Ship Entertainment
Distributor: Sinking Ship Entertainment
Original Broadcaster: Youtube Originals
Country of origin: CANADA
Short Synopsis: Lockdown is an up-to-the-minute mystery series that reflects the current state of the world. Shot entirely by the cast via webcam and smartphones during COVID-19, it is the story of a friend group affected by the pandemic and the racial reckoning in the wake of George Floyd's death in 2020.
Production company: Zone3
Distributor: Newen Connect
Original Broadcaster: TOU.TV
Country of origin: CANADA
Short Synopsis: Adapted from the Dutch format BRUGKLAS, L'EFFET SECONDAIRE is about life in high school and the many plans, doubts, and intense emotions that are part of the experience. It's also about the impact of changing friendships, unexpected rivalries, first loves... In the corridors of school like on the road of life, there's plenty of fun, confrontation, and intimidation...the real world with all its ups and downs docu-reality style, capturing the most memorable hyper-spontaneous moments of it all.
Production company: Fresh Start Media production
Distributor: Sky News & Sky Kids
Original Broadcaster: Sky News & Sky Kids
Country of origin: UNITED KINGDOM
Short Synopsis: The idea behind FYI : For Your Info - a weekly news show presented by children and for children - is to give kids a platform on which to speak out and be heard. In this spin off series to mark the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, FYI presenters meet children across the UK and the globe who are sadly fighting for their most basic rights.
The winner can be viewed here.