The Monte-Carlo Television Festival will this year honour three environmental and humanitarian productions and the teams behind them – Mines of Death, How Extreme Will The Weather Be, Sven Plöger? and The Law of the Sea – for their roles in raising public awareness on important topics that don’t always get the attention they deserve.
At the 2024 Monte-Carlo Television Festival (MCTF), which will be held at the Grimaldi Forum between 14th and 18th June, three individual projects will gain special recognition for their efforts in bringing to light issues that are all too often overlooked.
Award winners
Mines of Death, a documentary by journalist Håkan Enmark and filmmaker Daniel Gökinan for TV4 Sweden, tracks the lives of Emil and his family, who are living and working in the mines of Congo-Kinshasa. The documentary shares their struggles and suffering, from child-labour abuses to violence and poisoned drinking water. The hard-hitting show reveals how the Swedish government may be complicit in these horrors by sending US$200 million to the region, forcing these desperate people to carry on working in dangerous conditions.
It has won the MCTF’s AMADE Prize, an accolade that rewards television programmes linked to the charity’s core values: protecting the most vulnerable children from violence, exploitation and abuse; increasing access to education; and increasing access to health services.
See more: Aaron Gekoski’s ‘See No Evil’ wins the FPA2’s 2024 Environmental Photography Award
The Rainer III Special Prize, the winner of which is traditionally chosen by the MCTF’s Honorary President, Prince Albert II, and is awarded in partnership with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, will this year go How Extreme Will The Weather Be, Sven Plöger?
The documentary stars renowned German meteorologist Sven Plöger, who travels to Panama to highlight the direct – and dire – effects of El Niño on global weather, as well as provide more positive glimpses into how future techniques may help stop the worst effects of climate change. The film was produced by Gruppe 5 Filmproduktion GmbH. By virtue of the Rainier III Special Prize, the production team has also won €10,000.
The Monaco Red Cross Special Prize has been awarded to The Law of the Sea, a narrative based on the true story of the Spanish fishing vessel Francisco y Catalina, which in 2006 hit the news as the first European boat to rescue 51 sub-Saharan migrants from the Mediterranean Sea. This event started a chain-reaction of events that led to European legislation changing with regards to nations’ responsibilities to migrants.
The awards will be presented on 18th June at the MCTF’s closing ceremony. Princess Charlene of Monaco is expected to attend the event.
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Photo of La Ley del Mare / The Law of the Sea