GECs
Banff World Television Festival, NHK announce partnership
MUMBAI: The Banff World Television Festival joins forces with NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, to offer up the NHK Prize.
This is a new version of the NHK President’s Prize which has been awarded for the past six years. The new NHK Prize will be given for the best HD international co-production. NHK will sponsor it with a $20,000 (Cdn) cash award. The winner will be announced at the 2007 Awards ceremony during the event which takes place in Banff, Canada,from 10 -13 June 2007.
BWTVF CEO Robert Montgomery says, “We are delighted to have the opportunity to collaborate with NHK again. As leaders in HD technology, NHK’s support of this award will help to ensure that the best new HD productions are recognized.”
NHK head International programme acquisition and co-production Fumio Narashima says, “NHK always has a keen eye on quality programming and strives to explore the frontiers of innovation and creativity with international partners. Given our dedication to superior programming and the increasing global dominance of HDTV, we hope to further encourage excellent HD international co-productions with this new award”.
All internationally co-produced HD programmes submitted for the 2007 Banff Television Awards will be eligible for nomination. Producers are urged to submit as soon as possible as the deadline for submissions for the Awards is 23 February 23, 2007.
The Banff World Television Awards include 18 categories covering the major programme genres. New to the awards this year is the Best Telenovela/Drama Serial Program category. In addition to this, BWTVF’s 2007 programme competition will include several expanded categories for its Interactive Programme: Best Mobile Programme Enhancement Award, Best Internet Programme Enhancement Award and Best Internet Only Production Award.
GECs
Asianet Television Awards 2026 celebrates women power in Malayalam TV
“She is the Colour” theme honours icons as ceremony airs on March 14 and 15 at 7 PM.
MUMBAI: If television lights up living rooms, this year Asianet decided to let women provide the colour. The Asianet Television Awards 2026 turned the spotlight firmly on women empowerment with the theme “She is the Colour”, celebrating the strength, resilience and achievements of women who continue to shape society and the Malayalam entertainment industry.
The ceremony honoured several distinguished personalities whose journeys have left a lasting cultural imprint. Among them was legendary playback singer Vimala Varma, widely recognised as the first Malayalam playback singer. The evening also paid tribute to Padma Shri awardees Devaki Amma and Vimala Menon for their exceptional contributions in their respective fields.
Leading women from the Malayalam film industry were also recognised during the event, including actor Shweta Menon, who currently serves as president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists, and National Award winning actor Surabhi Lakshmi.
The awards ceremony brought together a glittering lineup of actors and industry figures, including Jayasurya, Vijay Babu, Asha Sarath, Lena, Esther Anil, Anumol, Akhila Bhargavan, Sarayu Mohan, Prajod Kalabhavan, Gayathri Suresh, Sabumon Abdusamad, Swasika, Tini Tom, Sijoy Varghese, Kailash, Veena Nandakumar, Sabareesh Varma, Ansiba Hassan and Dinesh Prabhakar. Kishan Kumar, executive vice president Malayalam at JioStar, was also present at the event.
Beyond individual recognitions, the awards celebrated excellence across Malayalam television, acknowledging artists and technicians whose work continues to drive the industry forward.
The evening also offered plenty of spectacle, with elaborate dance performances, stunt acts and comedy skits performed by popular television and film personalities, turning the ceremony into a full fledged entertainment showcase.
Viewers will get to watch the celebrations when the Asianet Television Awards 2026 air on Asianet on March 14 and 15, Saturday and Sunday, from 7 pm onwards, bringing the star studded tribute to homes across Kerala and beyond.
