In addition to the highly coveted Nymph awards, the upcoming Monte Carlo Television Festival will be handing out Special Prizes in collaboration with AMADE, the ICRC, the Monaco Red Cross and SIGNIS.
Photo: Monte Carlo Television Awards
Judged by expert international juries, the winners of the renowned Special Prizes are selected from a diverse array of entries received from across the globe.
The AMADE Prize, awarded to a television program that explores a contemporary human issue, will go to the French documentary ‘Yémen : Les Enfants et la Guerre’ (Yemen: Kids and War).
Rewarding a documentary that highlights a principle of international humanitarian law, the Press Prize of the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) also goes to ‘Yémen : Les Enfants et la Guerre’ (Yemen: Kids and War).
The English Television film ‘Care’, produced by LA Productions Ltd, will receive the Prize of the Monaco Red Cross, recognising a fiction program that demonstrates the fundamental principles of the Red Cross.
The SIGNIS Prize, the Silver Dove, which highlights and promotes productions that use artistic and technical talent to create inspiring content that encourages reflection, will go to the German Television film ‘Fremder Feind’ (War), produced by Schiwago Film.
In addition, during the Golden Nymphs’ closing ceremony, H.S.H. Prince Albert II will award the Special Prize of Prince Rainier III to a program competing in the news category.
This prize, in honour of the festival’s founder, is awarded to the best programme dealing with nature conservation, the environment, the protection of threatened fauna and flora and the fight against pollution.
This year, the documentaries ‘Drowning In Plastic’ (Raw Tv – United Kingdom) and ‘Klatwa Obfitosci’ (Kruppa Galery – Poland) are nominated for this award.
The Monte Carlo Television Festival runs from 14th to 18th June.
Key players in Monaco’s banking sector have turned out in force for the Challenge Inter-Banques-Trophée ERI organised by the Yacht Club of Monaco under the patronage of Monaco for Finance (AMAF – Association Monégasque des Activités Financières).
For the 2019 edition, 40 employees divided into eight teams represented their respective establishments for a weekend of friendly competition on the sea.
Reserved exclusively for banks and financial institutions, the event is designed to reinforce team spirit.
Two days of racing on J/70s, made available free of charge by boat owners in the J/70 Monaco Class Association, were on the programme the weekend of 8th and 9th June.
A consistent performance by Marco Ardigo’s crew (Credit Suisse) with two 2nd places was not enough. Having won the first race and clinching a convincing 3rd in the second, the trio of Société Générale ladies succeeded in taking the title off Credit Suisse, which had won the event for the last two years.
Julius Baer completed the podium. Note that their team included two young sailors from the YCM’s Sports Section, Jeremy Moutout and Juan Casalone, who are currently working at the Swiss institution.
The Monaco Economic Board has used the International Business Forum (SPIEF) held in June to further strengthen business ties with St Petersburg.
The MEB at SPIEF St Petersburg
With more than 17,000 participants from 140 countries, the SPIEF is a major event in the business world.
MEB relations with Russia are well established following several trade missions to Moscow related to the 2015 ‘Russian Year in Monaco’, as well as another mission planned to Rostov-on-Don in September, and various conferences and delegations hosted in the Principality.
However, St Petersburg – as the country’s second biggest economic region – has not been explored in depth which is why MEB Executive Director General Guillaume Rose and Justin Highman, who heads its Monaco Invest division, took the opportunity provided at SPIEF to organise several work meetings. This was supported by Monaco Ambassador to Russia Mireille Pettiti, and Monaco’s Honorary Consuls in St Petersburg Nikolaï Orlov and Igor Yurgens.
Meetings were held with leaders of loyal regional partners: St Petersburg CCI Vice-President Ekaterina Lebedeva and Business Russia St Petersburg President Dimitry Panov, accompanied by presidents of Innovation, International Trade, Tourism and Construction Commissions, and those from the neighbouring regions of Samara and Vladimir.
According to the MEB, discussions focused on opportunities and common interests and, benefiting from the extensive networks of Monaco’s Embassy and the two Consuls, the MEB received privileged treatment.
The Monegasque delegation took part in plenary sessions and round tables, as well as meetings and working lunches during which they presented the Principality’s economy. There was also a gala dinner attended by key decision-makers from Moscow and St Petersburg.
The MEB says that it should be able to offer entrepreneurs in the Principality yet more opportunities to expand their businesses at a trade mission to St Petersburg planned for 2020.
Car and plane enthusiasts will have the chance to witness the future of luxury transport at the Fairmont Hotel this week, with an exclusive showing of the first certifiable flying car in Europe. The AeroMobil can transform from car to airplane in just three minutes and Monaco Life caught up with the team behind the futuristic vehicle, AeroMobil CEO Juraj Vaculik, CMO Stefan Vadocz and investor Meir Arnon, to talk price, target market, and the future of flying cars.
What was the motivation behind developing a flying car?
Freedom of movement, sustainability and efficiency. Flying cars make regional travel and personal transportation more efficient and exciting. Travelling distances of up to a thousand kilometres can become so much more sustainable because of direct routes and less fuel consumption. Removing the need between the modes of transport means AeroMobil cuts travel times compared to traditional airline or private jet alternatives, while its powerful engine provides greater range and a more efficient use of energy than most civil helicopters and future personal drones. We are developing the most flexible, capable and cost-efficient personal aerial vehicles designed for intra-urban and inter-city travel for private use and as shared transportation. Our first vehicle will be a supercar with superpowers AeroMobil 4.0 coming to the market in 2020-2021.
How do you see AeroMobil fitting into the transport market?
We built our initial vehicle to fit into existing regulations for airplanes and automobiles. We do not need to wait for a new regulation or technology to go to market. Our vehicle is engineered in a way that it will be ready for use by any driver or pilot with a private pilot license. In the future, we expect that our vehicle can become a part of mobility as a service scheme in cooperation with a partner or on its own. The “race to the sky” is here to stay for some years as many of the general aviation companies also introduce new aircraft, making flying more accessible to the public. AeroMobil has one big advantage: driving capability, which means that it is possible to use the vehicle in bad weather conditions, when most other aircraft and drones will be grounded.
How much does one cost?
A unit will be sold at 1.2 to 1.5 million euros. The price reflects its uniqueness and the limited edition of the first series of 500 pieces. The AeroMobil is purposefully designed as a breath-taking, highly desirable, truly niche, high-technology luxury vehicle. It aims to demonstrate the team’s unique engineering capability and to position AeroMobil as the desirable brand at the forefront of a new, but rapidly evolving flying car industry. In the longer-term the strategy is to develop a series of models in different price categories to meet a variety of identified market opportunities, ranging from personal travel to the ultimate target of a mass market ‘mobility-as-a-service’ offering.
To significantly reduce the cost of flying cars in the long-term, we are bringing an automotive high-volume approach to a traditionally conservative low-volume aerospace industry, significantly cutting components costs via smart design, novel materials and production automation whilst fully conforming with civil aviation industry requirements.
How environmentally friendly is the vehicle?
At AeroMobil, we are benefiting from a dramatic advance in aviation technology, which has resulted in aircraft that are safer, faster, more efficient, less noisy and more environmentally friendly. We are integrating these advances into our vehicle. Additionally, we can use the existing aviation infrastructure to operate a sizeable sophisticated group of general aviation aircraft (non-airliner, non-military). That means our flying cars will be able to use the latest satellite and advanced technology to transport passengers, freight and supplies to communities worldwide, linking some previously unconnected urban centres with rural outposts and many towns in between. We might need to wait longer for battery-operated personal drones, as the technology which will make them efficient and safe is currently still in the early stages of development. In the short-term, we are likely to see more hybrid propulsion operated models, which will pave the way for fully electric aircraft in the future. AeroMobil is a hybrid vehicle on the road, and in the air it uses a very efficient automotive emissions compliant engine.
How does Aeromobil fit into the future?
The well-established automotive and aviation markets are being disrupted by new players that are taking advantage of new business models and technologies for short-range transportation concepts. However, jumping straight to the development of a fully autonomous electrical vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicle for shared air-taxi services carries a particular risk in capital expenditure, regulatory requirements, market acceptance and technology development. Therefore, AeroMobil is taking a more pragmatic approach which will reduce investment demands and will generate early returns to fund future growth. We believe that the first vehicles we will see will be those which address these challenges, and AeroMobil 4.0 is well positioned for that.
We, as the only flying car at the moment, have already applied for type certification at the European Aviation Safety Agency, and we are working closely with the Vehicle Certification Authority to approve the vehicle for road use. The first model of AeroMobil is designed for private use, aimed at the high-end market as a unique and unrivalled vehicle that offers a luxury experience and practical benefits to save time and give customers the personal freedom of convenient door-to-door air travel. First users will be early adopters of the new technology, enthusiasts – aviators who want a unique flying experience, and supercar buyers who appreciate the quality engineering and design concept. The next generation of vehicles with an air-taxi capability will see the introduction of fleet operators who will create new urban and intercity routes to save travellers time and offer more flexibility to passengers.
Tell us about the event on Wednesday 12th June at the Fairmont Hotel…
The event at the Fairmont will be presented by the chairman of AeroMobil Patrick Hessel, who will introduce a view behind the scenes at AeroMobil and will talk about developing the first certifiable flying car in Europe. The presentation will be for invited guests, but AeroMobil 4.0 will be parked in front of the Fairmont, presenting transformation from a car to airplane in just three minutes several times a day. Interested public can speak to AeroMobil representatives in person.
A perennial favourite in a season filled with events, the Longines Global Champions Tour International Jumping competition is back from 27th to 29th June. This three-day extravaganza features the world’s best show jumpers manoeuvring highly technical courses in one of the tour’s smallest courses.
Photo: Prince’s Palace of Monaco
The course, whose site was only weeks ago part of the Grand Prix circuit, has been transformed into an enchanting setting for riders, VIP’s and royalty alike. In order to create the course, the Automobile Club of Monaco must remove all traces of the F1 route, so the Jumping team organisers can create an entirely new venue, no small feat given the tight four week lapse between the two events.
HSH Prince Albert II is a patron of the event, along with notable local celebrities and business leaders alike. To add to the glamour, newlywed Princess Charlotte, a skilful rider in her own right, is also a sponsor of the event.
Previous winners include Scott Brash (GBR), Alberto Zorzi (ITA), Bassem Hassan Mohammed (QAT) and Shane Breen (IRL). But who will take top honours in 2019?
Fans of actor, director and playwright Sacha Guitry will be able to enjoy a series of artistic reproductions this week in Cap d’Ail.
Sixty-two years after his death, he is still one of France’s most beloved artists, with film versions of his works regularly played on TV to this day.
Now, from 10th to 14th June at the Château des Terrasses in Cap d’Ail, the 10th annual Sacha Guitry Soirées will bring his works back to life.
With a combination of stage plays, short films and readings, this free event will showcase the best of the author’s works.
The events begin at 9pm, and are held every night this week except Wednesday. Reservations are required and available on 04 93 78 02 33 or evenements@cap-dail.fr
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