Mediacorp clinches four Silvers at Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards

SINGAPORE: Mediacorp has bagged four coveted Silver dolphin trophies at the 14th edition of the prestigious Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards, announced at an awards presentation ceremony in Cannes, France.

These were for CNA documentaries, two of which were earlier announced - The Exiles: My Stolen Chinese Father in the “History and Personalities/Portraits” category, and A Million Cuts: India’s C-Section Epidemic in the “Human Concerns and Social Issues” category.

The Exiles: My Stolen Chinese Father, which was recently honoured at the ContentAsia Awards 2023 for being the “Best Factual Programme Made in Asia for Multiple Asian and/or International Market”, is the first episode in a two-part historical documentary series, which reveals untold stories of love and loss during an era of racially motivated deportations from post-war UK and Australia.

It reveals the story of how hundreds of Chinese seamen who served with the Allies during World War II mysteriously vanished from their homes and families in Liverpool.

On the other hand, A Million Cuts: India’s C-Section Epidemic is the second episode in the 10th season of CNA’s award-winning investigative series Undercover Asia, which uncovers the hard truths in the underbelly of Asia and exposes the unintended fallout of change in the fast-moving continent.

The episode, produced by Blue Petal Films, zooms in on the controversial issue of caesarian sections, or C-sections, in India.

It explores why millions of mothers are going under the knife unnecessarily, with the C-section rate in India's private hospitals a whopping 47.4 per cent, far greater than the 15 per cent threshold recommended by the World Health Organization.

The two other wins were for the documentaries Riot Island: Prison In Flames in the “Docudrama” category; and The Last Defenders in the “Environment, Ecology and Sustainability” category. Both were produced by Peddling Pictures for Mediacorp.

Riot Island: Prison In Flames is the second episode in a two-part documentary which traces the rise and fall of Singapore’s first and only open-air prison on Pulau Senang. It explores the secrets behind the revolutionary social experience in Singapore in the 1960s to rehabilitate its most feared mobsters through hard work, and how it went from being a beacon for prison reform to ending in a deadly riot.

The Last Defenders goes deep into Southeast Asia’s jungles to investigate the cause of deforestation and the threats faced by wildlife in the face of increased poaching. The show features environmental defenders who put their lives at risk while protecting the forests and wildlife against illegal poachers and criminal syndicates.

“We are delighted that CNA’s content has once again been recognised at the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards. These wins are an important feather in the cap for all our production colleagues and partners involved in the two documentaries, and they underscore our strengths in telling authentic, captivating stories through uniquely Asian perspectives,” said Mediacorp CEO Tham Loke Kheng in a press release on Wednesday (Oct 4).

"My warmest congratulations on your outstanding achievements!”

Nearly 900 entries from more than 45 countries were received for this year’s Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards.

Established in 2010, the awards honour the best corporate films, online media productions, documentaries, and reports annually in Cannes, one of the world’s most important film centres.

Viewers can watch both CNA documentaries on mewatch.