MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Awards announced its finalists

RX France announced the 24 finalists of the fifth edition of the event, which will take place physically at the Grand Auditorium in the Palais des Festival on Wednesday 13 at 4pm, and will be live streamed worldwide via MIPCOM Digital as well as other affiliated online platforms.

Dedicated to championing and promoting diversity and inclusion in all its forms across the international television industry, MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Awards recognize stand out programming that challenges stereotypes, provides fair and balanced representation and exemplifies originality and excellence in storytelling, casting and production values. 

This year sees the return of the “Variety Creative Change Award”, which made its debut in 2020, recognizing an individual who uses their platform in the arts to create inclusive stories. This year’s recipient is Academy Award nominated actor, writer, producer, and musician, Riz Ahmed. Themes of inclusion and representation run throughout Riz’s work as a creator and activist, from his roles in projects such as Sound of Metal, The night Of, and Mogul Mowgli, to his essay in Nikesh Shukla’s The Good Immigrant, his 2017 address to Parliament on diversity in the creative industries, and his appointment to the Mayor of London’s 2021 Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm. 

MIPCOM announced rising star Salif Cissé as “Master of Ceremonies” this year, a graduate of the prestigious National Academy of Dramatic Arts. Salif, who starred in last year’s shortlisted drama Mental, staged his first project High Sign at the Cartes Blanches Festival in 2017. Since then he was cast in Guillaume Brac’s All Hands On Deck, starred in his own original mini-series Couronnes and will next appear in one of the lead role in the upcoming Netflix series, Endless Night, due out in 2022..

The 24 finalists cover a broad range of topics from celebrating diverse culture and heritage, stories of living with disabilities, the lasting impact of the global pandemic, children’s rights, AIDs and HIV 40 years on and transgender activism. They were chosen from a record number of submissions by the Pre-Selection Jury made up of the MIP Markets Diversity Advisory Board and  a panel of industry experts, including: Bunmi Akintonwa, CEO, Little Black Book Company; Mounia Aram, CEO, Mounia Aram Company; Sahar Baghery, Head of Business Development, Amazon Prime Video; Bruna Capozzoli, Head of Creative Content, On The EDGE Conservation; Patrick Connolly, International Entertainment Executive; David Cornwall, Managing Director, Scorpion Television; Mark Garner, EVP Global Content Sales & Business Development, A+E Networks; Sallyann Keizer, Managing Director, Sixth Sense Media; Wincie Knight, Senior Director, Global Inclusion Strategies, ViacomCBS Networks International (VCNI), EMEA ; David Levine, Chief Content Officer, Moonbug Entertainment; Tshepo Moche, Development Consultant, Content Creator & Writer, Play Nice Pictures; Adam Pearson, Disability Rights Campaigner, Actor & Presenter; Cédric Petitpas, Head of Family Partnerships, YouTube UK & Ireland;  Bouchra Rejani, Founder & CEO, WeMake; Nick Smith, EVP Formats, All3Media International; André Renaud, SVP Global Format Sales, BBC Studios, Sam Renke, Actress, Presenter, Speaker, Writer and Disability Rights Campaigner; Shabnam Rezaei, Co-Founder & President, Big Bad Boo Studios; Deborah Williams, CEO, The Creative Diversity Network (CDN).

The winning programmes will be chosen by charitable organisations that campaign for equality and inclusion, including Fondation Mozaïk, GLAAD, GADIM, Mencap, Minority Rights Group, SCOPE, Show Racism the Red Card, Stonewall.