The FIAT/IFTA elected and celebrated their Award winners 1998

Wilhelm Krüger, Hans Strebel, Ivana Holoubkova, Vit Charous, Karen Johnson, Karl Maier, Peter Brandl, Ralph Griffith.
Photo: Gösta Johansson

Florence - city of art, architecture, ars vivendi...!

A wonderful place for this year's FIAT/IFTA conference!!! also an almost over-powerful competitor for the screening of the shortlisted programmes of the Television Archive Award and the following election? Our fears of having to hold the screening before an almost empty hall were unfounded: the "house was almost sold out" as the election of the 5th winner of the Television Archive Award took place on Sunday afternoon, 27 September 1998. A great sign, which shows the fact that the Awards have become more and more important and now have their own place within FIAT/IFTA.

This positive development becomes clear on the basis of the constantly rising quality of the nominated contributions. If the jury had already had a hard task with the pre-selection in Santiago de Chile, then the conference delegates had the agony of the election in Florence.

The very close result was as follows: The winner of the Television Archive Award was the production "Survivors of the Shipwrecked-Patria and their story" by Anna Becková (Czech Republic). "Letters from Lebanon" by Yehuda Kaveh (Israel) and "EX! Events that moved the nation" by Hanspeter Michel (Germany) took second and third place respectively.

The winning contribution of our jury price, which this year was given for the second time, had been known since May 1998: "History File: Civil Rights in the USA" by Karen Johnson (UK). It was shown during the conference, in the presence of the winner, on Tuesday 29 September 1998, with big success.

If the Sunday screening was overshadowed by the violent September rain, Tuscany showed up at its best on the winners day of honour. Together with the representatives of the sponsors Karen Johnson experienced an unforgettable day in the Chianti area, including a wine-tasting. Anna Becková could unfortunately not enjoy her day of honour personally.

The Villa Medicea Corsini formed the worthy background for the awards presentation in the evening. In the presence of the British Consul in Florence, Ralph Griffith, Karen Johnson received the Award certificate from the hands of Barbara Scaramucchi, Direttore Audiovideoteche RAI. Peter Brandl, Sales Manager Compaq, handed over the prize money of DM 7.500 to the overjoyed winner. With arms stretched upward, a jubilant Vit Charous, our Czech FIAT/IFTA member, held the Television Archive Award in his hands. For Anna Becková and in the presence of Ivana Holoubkova, representative of the Czech Embassy in Rome, he received the sponsors' cheques for the amount of altogether DM 10.000 from Hans Strebel, Managing Director Gürtler, and Dr. Wilhelm Krüger, Managing Director TecMath. His own reward - a bottle of Grappa. That's life!

By the way, our sponsors ... "Our special thank and pride apply to our sponsors, Gürtler and TecMath, who have stayed loyal to FIAT/IFTA Television Archive Award since its establishment in 1994. The identification is clearly visible: Award posters are hanging everywhere in the offices of our sponsors. Our special thanks and pride also apply to the godfather of our FIAT/IFTA Innovation Award. The international company Compaq took - after successfully merging with DIGITAL - the responsibility for our well developing youngest child. With our thanks we link hope that this responsibility becomes an intimate relationship, which will accompany the Innovation Award in the adult age."
- the organiser of the Awards appreciated the support of the sponsors to enthusiastic applause. Winners, sponsors and organisation team still celebrated the event into the early morning hours. Details are top secret ...

The FIAT/IFTA Awards are an all-season task. The rejoicing over the 1998 Awards is hardly over, so the preparations for the next years Awards begin! The folders and nomination forms for the competition are being prepared and will soon be sent to all of you. If you have access to the internet the competition conditions and nominating documents can already be down-loaded from our awards homepage. Time passes fast to the deadline of 31 of March 1999. All TV productions first transmitted in 1998, which are based significantly on archive material, can be nominated for the Awards 1999. The Innovation Award is once again given as a jury award for using archive material in the most innovative and imaginative way. The FIAT/IFTA delegates of next year's annual conference will then have the possibility to honour the best use of archive material with the winning of the Television Archive Award.

So: take part in the competition and encourage your colleagues and friends from other companies to do so as well. It would be great to receive even more non-European nominations next year. And the place for the Award presentation is no less attractive than this year: Rio is calling!

T modest request from the organiser: please do not wait till the end of the deadline to send in your nomination. Any early nominations help a lot.

All the best
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Karl Maier
Organiser FIAT/IFTA Awards

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