06.09.2010
Great Swiss Stars Have the Honor

This promises to be lots of fun. The two pun-masters Ursus & Nadeschkin will give a short congratulatory speech in their special subject at the Rose d’Or Awards Ceremony, with a fabulous verbal introduction to the Sitcom category. The exact content of their speech is something they are not ready to disclose two weeks before the event, as their appearance will develop live and uncut on the stage.
Presenter DJ Bobo seems almost predestined for the Children & Youth category. Expectations are high as to how the father of two, and probably the most popular entertainer for young people and children, will approach the topic and perhaps makes some very pointed remarks on the topics of television and Internet consumption for the younger generation.
Television personality Sandra Studer might even be on stage twice at this year's award ceremony: first, as a presenter in the Miniseries & Drama category, and second as the possible winner of a Rose. The documentary about the opera «La Bohème at the Tower Block» was nominated for an award along with two others from SF Schweizer Fernsehen. «Of course, I would be very happy to receive an award, but it is also a great honour for me as a presenter to hand over the Golden Rose to another television show,» she said. «Television produces masses for the masses. That is why it is so much more important to present awards for quality. A rose for the pick of every bunch!»
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03.09.2010
Interview with Chris Hunt, chair of the Forum session:
3D Television – The Extra Dimension

The Arts and Entertainment are two of the leading areas that are looking into producing content for television. A panel of experts will explore the added requirements and approaches needed when shooting in 3D. Chris Hunt, President of IMZ (International Music + Media Center), talks about what to expect from this session about 3D, its development and future role within the industry.
Chris Hunt, what can the delegates expect when they join your Early Evening Session?
Chris Hunt: This will be a session bringing together 3D exponents in the fields of arts, entertainment and technology, to compare notes and cross-fertilise. 3D programme-making and event coverage is very new and we are still learning the best techniques. This is not about feature films, but about major entertainment events, arts performances like opera and ballet, and documentary work which television stations will increasingly be calling for. It’s the future – the very near future – so few of us can afford to be ignorant about it.
The idea of 3D films was born more then 100 years ago. What took so long to get it on the movie screen?
Hunt: Two things – technological advances, and what is often called the «killer application». 3D movies have been around for 50 years, but never took off because the 3D effect was usually seen as a stunt, and the need to wear those red and green-lensed glasses put people off. If ‘Avatar’ had been a less stupendous piece of work – not just in its use of 3D but for all its other qualities too – we might still be waiting for 3D to catch on – but it was a huge success technically, artistically and of course financially, so Hollywood producers and studios followed like gadarene swine, and the more far-sighted television platform operators have seen their chance and jumped at it too.
In the future – will there be nothing else but 3D movies?
Hunt: Probably not – not all subjects lend themselves to 3D, and it is still very expensive. Even «Avatar» had largely 2D sections. But it may well become mainstream and take over in the same way that colour gradually edged out black and white. I would guess there won’t be many 2D animations or CGI-based films in the future, but dramas, romcoms etc. might last longer in 2D.
How long will it take until 3D finds it’s way into every Tom’s, Dick’s and Harry’s livingroom?
Hunt: 3D TV sets are already being manufactured and will soon be on sale, though they require the use of those trendy glasses that you wore for «Avatar». But the technological issues are also already solved for 3D sets that don’t need special spectacles, so in maybe 3 or 4 years you will be buying one of those. That said, it takes longer than most people anticipate for a new technological advance in TV to catch on generally – think of the time PVRs took, or HDTV – so it will be perhaps ten years before most people have them. That said, the train has left the station – it seems there is no longer any doubt that 3D is here to stay this time, and those innovative operators like Sky are going to find themselves with a significant competitive advantage.
29.08.2010
Game World Playground – Game world meets television world

Moving forward is the theme of this year’s festival. Moving into a new decade – the Rose d’Or’s sixth.
Moving into an era of entertainment on all screens – from the traditional TV set to smartphones and iPads. Moving closer to the people who are watching entertainment programmes on all those screens. This movement is also reflected in the festival’s supporting programme, for example at the Game World Playground.
Game World Playground is an interactive exhibition, where leading creators and developers of game software and technologies from Switzerland can present their games to television producers and the general public. It is aimed at promoting a dialogue between manufacturers of computer games and the world of television and providing both sides with new insights. The Game Design Department of Zurich Art College (ZHdK) is staging the Game World Playground. Apple Switzerland and «Game Culture», a programme run by the Swiss cultural foundation Pro Helvetia.
Visitors will not just get an insight into the future of the games world. They will also have the opportunity to try out games at the game stations – some of them have been developed by students at ZHdK, and others by successful game developers on the Swiss market. Well-known Swiss developers will be presenting their latest games during Game Hour.
Game World Playground is open to the public in the Hotel Schweizerhof Lucerne from 9 am until 4 pm on Sunday, 19th September, and from 2 pm until 4.30 pm on Monday, 20th September and Tuesday, 21st September. Game Hour is also open to the public from 11 am until 12 noon on Sunday, 19th September.
Admission is free, entry tickets are available at the Welcomedesk, Hotel Schweizerhof Lucerne.
24.08.2010
Ben Shephard and Nazan Eckes to host Awards Ceremony

The red carpet will be rolled out on 22nd September at the Culture and Convention Center Lucerne (KKL) when the global television industry gathers for the presentation of the Rose d’Or Awards. The Awards Ceremony has been the highpoint of the Rose d’Or for 50 years. This year two of the best young hosts in the industry have been signed up for this event: German-Turkish Nazan Eckes and Ben Shephard from the UK.
For this year's Rose d’ Or Festival, which will take place in Lucerne from 18th to 22nd September,
110 programs have been nominated in 11 categories. On the Golden Jubilee Awards night on 22nd September, the 11 Rose d’Or award winners will be revealed in the Culture and Convention Center Lucerne (KKL). Celebrities and high-profile personalities will hand over the awards, among them the former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who will present the first Rose d'Or "Social Award".
The awards ceremony is integrated into a show celebrating 50 years of television entertainment reflected through the history of Rose d’Or, a fast-moving journey through five decades of entertainment with videos and guests from the TV programmes that have transformed the world of television since the sixties.
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23.08.2010
Comedy Night with international stars

German comedy star Thomas Hermanns is looking forward to the Rose d’Or Festival. Hermann's excitement is justified. That’s because the traditional Comedy Night, which will be held on Tuesday 21st September at the Hotel Schweizerhof Lucerne’s Zeugheer Saal, features live performances by comedians from four countries: Switzerland, Australia, Germany and England.
Representing Switzerland on stage will be Michael Gammenthaler, who leaves audiences literally flummoxed and breathless with laughter. In his performances, the artist combines comedy and magic. Describing what the second artist, an Australian native residing in Switzerland, offers his audience is not quite as easy. Rob Spence is clown, pantomime, parodist, body acrobat, jester and stand-up comedian in one person. Carrington-Brown, the award-winning comedy duo from England, demonstrates versatility of a different kind. Together with their 18th century cello Joe, Rebecca Carrington and Colin Brown parody pretty much any genre – from pop to opera and from jazz to Bollywood. Finally, Henning Wehn, a German comedian living in England, exploits English stereotypes about Germans and is utterly politically incorrect. Wehn is a regular guest on British comedy shows.
With these four high-profile acts and Thomas Hermanns as host, the Rose d’Or Festival Comedy Night promises to be an unforgettable night, which won’t leave a dry eye in the house. The Comedy Night will be open to the public. Tickets are now available at the box office or for advance booking at www.ticketcorner.ch
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19.08.2010
«50 Years Rose d’Or» – SF Produces a Special Show

In «50 Years Rose d’Or», host and Comedian Claudio Zuccolini will present the top ten of the most popular comedy shows among the prizewinners on SF1 at 10.05pm on 19 September 2010; in addition, he will show excerpts from Swiss shows and talk with prominent guests about the milestones of TV entertainment. The audience can help decide the order in which the presented 10 comedy formats will be shown on the show. The order will be determined per online voting at www.comedy.sf.tv and www.blick.ch until 31 August 2010.
The following 10 award-winning international formats for the vote: Monty Python Flying Circus (prizewinner in 1971), The Muppet Show (1977), The Benny Hill Show (1984), Hale & Pace (1989), Mr. Bean (1990), Total Normal (1991), Da Ali G Show (2000), Smack the Pony (2003), Ladykracher (2004) and Little Britain (2005).
Win Awards Ceremony Tickets
Taking part in the voting is worth it. Tickets for the Rose d’Or Awards Ceremony – the highlight of the Rose d’Or Festival – will be raffled among the participating voters. On the anniversary award night on 22 September, the secret of the 11 Rose d’Or Award winners will be revealed in the Culture and Convention Center Lucerne (KKL).
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18.08.2010
Rose d'Or Festival – exclusive sponsors club established

To promote the Rose d’Or Festival more systematically in the future, an exclusive Donors Club has been established. The Club of Roses will ensure further development and sustained success for the Rose d’Or, while strengthening the image of Switzerland as a point of attraction for the international entertainment industry. Entrepreneur Daniel Gutenberg, who sits on the Rose d’Or board of directors, will be the club’s chairman. He will officially launch the Club of Roses on 1 September in Zurich – along with Marco Castellaneta, chairman of the board of directors of Rose d'Or and head of Ringier Entertainment, Marc Walder, CEO of Ringier Switzerland and Germany and Rose d’Or festival director Rolf Probala.
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16.08.2010
Rose d'Or Festival has three new media partners

For 50 years, the Rose d'Or Festival has been one of the most important events in entertainment television worldwide. However, the festival – as well as its traditional role as an international networking and ideas platform – will also become a major public event with strong national and regional appeal in the future. To achieve this, Rose d'Or is not only working with Blick Group, Schweizer Illustrierte and the industry platform C21, but also with media partners from Central Switzerland: Neue Luzerner Zeitung, Radio Pilatus and Central Switzerland TV channel Tele 1.
02.08.2010

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? – live at the Rose d’Or
«Do you want to ask the audience?» «How about a 50:50?» «Is that your final answer?»
No prizes for guessing the programme: Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? is the most successful quiz show of all time. Created in the UK and broadcast for the first time on ITV in 1998, Millionaire has been licensed or optioned in 120 countries. Original host Chris Tarrant has fronted the British version since the beginning. For 12 years, he has tested contestants’ recall of tricky trivia, asking them to stake their winnings on each answer on TV.
Now, in a one-off special event, he will ask them live – at the Rose d’Or Festival in Lucerne on Sunday September 19th. Tarrant will throw his «but we don't want to give you that…» and «is that your final answer?» at the contestants on stage in the Zeugheer Saal of the Hotel Schweizerhof, Lucerne. Will anyone get the 15 questions correct on the night and win 50,000 Swiss Francs for charity? Come along and find out.
Tickets for the show are available on www.ticketcorner.ch27.07.2010

ImmoScout24 to support the festival
In addition to BMW (Switzerland) AG, Swisscom Broadcast, Rosenbörse and Hotel Schweizerhof Lucerne, the Rose d’Or Festival can now count on another strong partner in its anniversary year: ImmoScout24, the best-known online market place for real estate.
ImmoScout24 has become a new partner of the Rose d’Or Festival, which has rewarded originality, quality and creativity in the TV entertainment industry for 50 years and sets new standards with its awards. This makes the festival an attractive partner for Switzerland’s leading online marketplace for residential, vacation and commercial real estate, which has about 2 million visitors per month. «For ImmoScout24, the Rose d’Or offers a perfect network and hospitality platform,» says Martin Koncilja, Head of Marketing ImmoScout24.
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19.07.2010
The Rose d’Or has its own RoseTo honour the Rose d’Or’s 50th anniversary the Festival receives its own rose – a real one. The Rosenbörse, sponsor of the Rose d’Or Festival, will decorate this year’s festival with more than 25'000 roses - but not just any roses. For the 50th anniversary of the festival the Rosenbörse has given the name «Rose d’Or» to a real rose, a rose that glows as golden as the Rose d’Or Awards. |
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But the colour was not the only reason why Urs Kägi, CEO of the Rosenbörse, chose this particular rose. «The Rose d'Or rose has star qualities: a big, glowing blossom head, visible thorns and an impressive length make sure that the rose, either on its own or in a bouquet arrangement, can show off its full diva aura.» This real rose will decorate and partner the international festival in honour of its birthday.
For Kägi the Rosenbörse and the festival are a perfect match. «The Rose d’Or honours the efforts of people whose programmes give the audience a lot of pleasure. Moreover, we both celebrate a memorable anniversary this year. This is the Rosenbörse’s 10th birthday, the Rose d’Or festival takes place for the 50th time in September. The emotional parallels, the two jubilees and the word ‹rose› in its name convinced me right away to get involved with the Rose d’Or as rose partner,» he explains, revealing the Rosenbörse’s sponsorship.
People who want to see or buy the real Rose d’Or can find it now in the Rosenbörse stores in Zurich, Zug, Lucerne and Sihlbrugg.
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28.06.2010

Thomas Hermanns is coming to Lucerne
Comedy star Thomas Hermanns, who came to fame with «Quatsch Comedy Club» and is known as the father of the German stand-up comedy boom, is to present the Opening Ceremony and a Comedy Night at the 50th Rose d’Or festival.
Thomas Hermanns, what does the Rose d'Or festival mean to you?
The Rose d’Or was my «drug dealer» for supplies of great entertainment - right from the beginning of my career! As far back as the late 1980s, a director friend of mine invited me to Montreux, where it was held in those days. We sat for three days in tiny booths watching the hotly tipped TV entertainment programmes, mostly from America and the UK, around the clock. Often, we snatched the most desired video cassettes (!) from occupants of other booths, in particular everything from Dame Edna and the early French & Saunders. As for my own personal highlight, one year Dame Edna herself came to Montreux and gave me an autograph, which stands to this day on my altar between Frida from ABBA and Catherina Valente. Newly inspired, we hurried back to Germany and tried to be as good as the BBC. In that state of euphoria the TV version of «Quatsch Comedy Club» was born – tape local, but think global! Inspired by the Rose!
What are you particularly looking forward to at this year’s festival?
Meeting up with the international comedy specialists. In Germany, with our strong and rich market, we are often too focused on the German perspective and German taste. Visiting an international festival usually opens our eyes again.
22.06.2010

Gerhard Schroeder to present Social Award
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder will present the Golden Rose to a socially responsible TV entertainment programme during the Rose d'Or Award Ceremony on 22 September in Lucerne.
TV programmes from around the world will be honoured at the 50th Golden Rose Festival this year. This prestigious award acknowledges originality, quality and creativity in TV entertainment. One prize - the Social Award - will be presented for the first time at the anniversary event. With this special prize the Rose d'Or jury will recognize a programme that deals with social and humanitarian topics, social trends and ethic issues. Read more
02.06.2010

Catherine Mühlemann -
new Advisory Board member
Media entrepreneur Catherine Mühlemann joins the International Advisory Board of the Rose d’Or Festival. Other members of this advisory body include television celebrities such as Colman Hutchinson, producer of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and Dick de Rijk, creator of Deal or No Deal.
Catherine Mühlemann (44) was among the founders of Switzerland’s first private television station TV3, developed German television station MTV Networks (Viacom) from a music channel into a multimedia company with several strong brands and sits on the board of directors of Swisscom. Now she will also join the Advisory Board of Rose d’Or, one of the most important festivals of the television and entertainment industry. “The Rose d’Or has honored originality, quality and creativity in television entertainment for 50 years – I would like to help it do the same for another 50 years. After all, creativity has always been an important pillar of my work. Creativity is the heart of our media industry – it’s really all about creativity,” says Mühlemann. The International Advisory Board of Rose d’Or now counts 14 leading personalities from the world of television entertainment. They support the Rose d’Or management and function as door openers and ambassadors for the festival around the world.
27.05.2010
Happy Birthday, Rose d'Or!
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Today is a special day for the Rose d’Or. On May 27th 1961 the BBC was awarded the first ever Rose d’Or Award for the Black and White Minstrel Show in Montreux, Switzerland. The Rose d’Or will celebrate its 50th anniversary officially at this year’s Festival from September 18th to 22nd. Tonight, on the evening of May 27th 2010, the Pre-selection Jury is meeting in Lucerne. |
24.05.2010
What Happens at the Pre-selection Jury
All eligible submitted entries undergo a pre-selection round of judging and will be viewed by a pre-selection Jury, consisting of leading industry figures, who were selected by the Festival Committee.
This pre-selection Jury will meet at the Hotel «Schweizerhof» in Lucerne from Thursday to Sunday and select, from the 515 competition entries, the nominees for each of the 11 categories. The jury will be supervised by the Festival Committee and two Jury Advisors, the International Advisory Board’s President John Gough and Advisory Board member and media lawyer Christoph Fey.
The entries for each category will be judged by three jurors chosen for the respective category. In the plenary session on Sunday morning, the nominees for the Social Award will be selected and the final decisions on the pre-selection will be made. In each of the main competition categories as well as for the Social Award, the pre-selection Jury will select the programmes to proceed to the final round of judging during the Festival in September. The Nominees will be announced on June 9th in Lucerne and London.
12.05.2010
«A big feather in my cap»Last year, the «Best of 2009 Rose d’Or Award», chosen fromthe winners of all ten categories, went to Small World IFT’s «I Survived a Japanese Game Show». The distributor’s president Tim Crescenti talks about what the award means to him, what impact it had for the format and where he sees the Rose d’Or Festival in the future. |
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Why did you submit «I Survived a Japanese Game Show» to the Rose d’Or competition?
We finally realized that US productions can be submitted, which is great, because the Rose d'Or Festival hosts the most prestigious international awards for entertainment television programs. So, as we had a truly global entertainment program, we entered the competition and went for the award.
How did it feel to actually hear your show announced as a winner?
In the very first moment I thought: «For sure, they screwed up their vote count» – like Florida in the 2000 election. I couldn’t believe we made it. I was thrilled and happy about the award.
And what was your first thought when you heard the show announced as «Best of 2009» winner?
I couldn’t think at all. It took a while to sink in – especially when I learned the legendary status of previous winners. To win the «Best of» award is quite an honour. It is a big feather in your cap to be associated with «The Muppets», «Pop Idol», «Little Britain» and other biggies.
What do these two awards mean to you personally?
The Rose d’Or Awards meant that all our hard work – to secure the format from Babyfoot out of Denmark and to get ABC to produce series as well as all our global franchises – was finally rewarded.
Did the awards change anything for the show?
It certainly raised the profile of the format and the series, helping to lock down more sales and renewals.
Will you submit one of your programs to this year’s competition?
We are hoping that our partners in Finland will submit their terrific «The Day Before I Die». The format is one of the best hours of television I have ever seen.
Will you attend this year’s festival?
Yes, my wife and I will attend the award gala. We look forward to being part of the Rose d’Or Festival in Lucerne again as we get to see all our global friends.
What does the Rose d’Or Festival mean to you?
Since it is an international festival, it means that a US produced, Denmark created title can be included and awarded in the prestigious award, which I take personally. Moreover, with more than 40 countries participating each year, it is a unique meeting place for the onscreen entertainment community, providing everyone a unique opportunity for networking, discussion and «behind the scenes» deal making.
| I Survived A Japanese Gameshow Nine unsuspecting westerners travel to Tokyo to compete in hilarious Japanese game shows, while immersing themselves in cultural excursions and living together in a Japanese apartment. Their entire upside-down-world experience is captured on television. It's an outrageous combination of “Real World” meets “Lost in Translation”, and there is no predicting who will end up with the honour of being Big in Japan, winning piles of Japanese yen! Watch the trailer... Production Company: A. Smith & Co. Productions Broadcaster/Distributor: Small World IFT |
27.04.2010
.. The lady who manages the competitionOn May 21st the deadline for the entries 2010 will be reached. Competition Manager Dina Baenninger talks about the award, the jury and why she likes her job. |
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Dina, you are the Competition Manager of the Rose d’Or Festival. What is your job?
I’m coordinating the entry submission process, making sure that everything runs correctly and in accordance with the Competition Rules & Regulations, but I’m also there to assist the organisations submitting programmes with all their queries. Moreover, supported by the International Advisory Board, I’m in charge of selecting the jurors for the pre-selection and the final jury along with coordinating the judging procedures.
How do you select and put the jury together?
We place special value on the composition of the jury. The jury has to be an international mix of acknowledged specialists in TV entertainment. Last year the jury consisted of 23 jurors from 21 countries and from 5 continents. The best guarantee for the quality of a programme is when it is evaluated, judged and recommended by renowned experts. That is a core principle that underpins the high reputation of the Rose d’Or Award in the world of entertainment television for the last half century.
What is the key message that you give to people about entering programmes for the competition?
Over the last 50 years the Rose d’Or Award has profiled itself as one of the most prestigious television awards worldwide. It stands for creativity, originality and quality in television programming. The Rose d’Or Award is a quality brand and sets trends and standards in the TV entertainment world – both for the professionals as well as for the public. Programmes such as «Who wants to be a Millionaire», “Deal or no deal”, ”Young at Heart” or “Monty Python” among many other great programmes, have been discovered within the Rose d’Or competition.
You have now been working for Rose d’Or for two and a half years. What was the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
The last minute «culture». The majority of the entries arrive just for the deadline – which is great because they make it to join in the competition – but now I understand the other meaning of the word deadline: it is the “D-Day” – when the postmen invade the Rose d’Or office and the competition team dies from overwork!
What do you like most about your job?
Being in contact and working with brilliant creative people from all around the world. And the great atmosphere in the Rose d’Or office – I’m happy to come to work because I feel that I’m among friends rather than just colleagues and clients.













