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Netflix scoops lion’s share of prizes at C21’s International Drama Awards

This year’s winners show off their C21Media International Drama Awards

CONTENT LONDON: Global streaming giant Netflix took home a record six prizes at C21’s annual International Drama Awards as Content London came to a close this evening.

There were two prizes for The Queen’s Gambit and one each for Squid Game, The Crown, Call My Agent and The Chair as Netflix swept the board with six of the 11 prizes on offer.

The Queen’s Gambit, about an orphan who becomes the greatest chess player in the world during the Cold War era, was named Best Miniseries. The cast, led by Anya Taylor-Joy as the chess prodigy, also won the prize for Best Casting of a Drama Series.

Squid Game, unsurprisingly, was named Best Non-English-Language Drama after its remarkable break-out year in which it became Netflix’s most watched series ever. The South Korean show, from Siren Pictures, beat competition from two other Netflix shows, Lupin and Ethos, to the prize as well as Israeli network KAN’s Valley of Tears, Arte France’s version of In Treatment and Canal+ Poland’s The King of Warsaw.

Call My Agent, a coproduction between Netflix and public broadcaster France Télévisions from Mon Voisin Productions and Mother Productions, was named Best Returning Comedy Drama Series.

Sandra Oh’s turn in The Chair was named Best Individual Performance in a Comedy Drama Series and The Crown was hailed as Best Returning Drama Series ahead of La Casa de Papel (also Netflix), Line of Duty, Baptiste (both BBC), The Good Fight (Paramount+) and Exit (NRK).

The remaining prizes were shared between AMC, Channel 4, BBC One, HBO and Sky Atlantic.

The Queen’s Gambit is based on the novel by Walter Tevis

Channel 4 and HBO Max’s groundbreaking Russel T Davies drama It’s a Sin, from Red Production Company, was named Best English-Language Drama Series. C4 also took home the Best TV Movie award for I Am Victoria, produced by Me And You Productions.

HBO and Sky Atlantic’s The White Lotus was picked as Best Comedy Drama while BBC One’s Time took Best Performance in a Drama Series for Sean Bean’s role. AMC+’s Ultra City Smiths was named Best Newform Drama.

Also at Content London, the Studio 21 Drama Series Script Competition offered a prize of £10,000 in funding and a development deal with Studio 21 for the best of six pitches given at the start of the event.

In the end, the judges couldn’t split two projects and the prize money has been doubled so both will receive £10,000 and move their projects forward with Studio 21. The lucky two are crime serial 606 by Irshad Ashraf and Spinner & Marie by Joanne Thomson.

Furthermore, the winner of the Studio 21 Drama Series Pitch Competition was Video Nasty from Ireland’s Deadpan Pictures in association with Endeavor Content.

Finally, the annual DQ Craft Award was presented to Luca Bernabei, CEO of producer Lux Vide, for the company’s Italian crime drama Blanca, which used innovative 3D sound-recording techniques to put viewers in the world of its blind protagonist.

C21’s International Drama Awards are sponsored by Film London Film London

The full list of winners is:

Best English-Language Drama

It’s a Sin
Produced by: Red Production Company
For: Channel 4 and HBOMax
Distributed by: All3Media International


Best TV Movie

I Am Victoria
Produced by: Me and You Productions
For: Channel 4
Distributed by: Sky Studios and NBCUniversal Distribution


Best Individual Performance in a Drama Series

Time – Sean Bean
Produced by: BBC Studios
For: BBC One
Distributed by: BBC Studios


Best Newform Drama Series

Ultra City Smiths
Produced by: AMC Studios and Stoopid Buddy Stoodios
For: AMC+
Distributed by: AMC Studios


Best Comedy-Drama Series

White Lotus
Produced by: HBO
For: Sky Atlantic
Distributed by: Sky Atlantic


Best Individual Performance in a Comedy-Drama Series

The Chair – Sandra Oh
Produced by: Netflix
For: Netflix
Distributed by: Netflix


Best Miniseries

The Queen’s Gambit
Produced by: Netflix
For: Netflix
Distributed by: Netflix


Best Casting of a Drama Series

The Queen’s Gambit
Produced by: Netflix
For: Netflix
Distributed by: Netflix


Best Non-English-Language Drama

Squid Game
Produced by: Siren Pictures
For: Netflix
Distributed by: Netflix


Best Returning Comedy Drama Series

Call my Agent
Produced by: Mon Voisin Productions and Mother Productions
For: France Télévisions and Netflix
Distributed by: Netflix


DQ Craft Award

Blanca
Produced by: Lux Vide
For: Rai
Distributed by: Lux Vide

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