Hans Herbots’ five-part crime series The Spiral is nominated for this year’s International Digital Emmy Awards. Rewarding creative digital programming, the renowned television prizes will be presented during the Opening Night festivities of MIPTV, the leading international television market (Cannes, 8 – 11 April).
A total of 12 productions from 10 different countries is in the running for a Digital Emmy Award, The Spiral being part of the section Digital Program: Fiction. Other sections are Non-Fiction and Children & Youth, each covering four nominees. All nominated programs will be showcased during a special session at MIPCube, the programme exploring tech and creative approaches organised prior to MIPTV.
Bruce L. Paisner, CEO of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, describes the Digital Emmy Award noms as ‘a global snapshot of today’s most creative and well produced digital programming’. ‘We are delighted that they will be available for all MIPTV attendees to discover at MIPCube.’
The Spiral unites six northern European networks while the storyline follows an equally international group of artists based in Copenhagen who get entangled in a crime investigation. They steal six world-famous artworks from six European museums, but during the heist one of them mysteriously disappears. The audience could also participate in the search for the stolen paintings online via thespiral.eu.
Peter De Maegd and Bert Hamelinck developed and initiated the ambitious international co-production and produced the series for Brussels-based production outfit Caviar. The series was broadcast simultaneously in Belgium, The Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark. Franco-German art channel Arte also boarded the project, airing the series in France, Germany, Austria and the German-speaking region of Switzerland, in so doing covering an impressive total of ten regions.
Hans Herbots directed the The Spiral, while Carl Joos cooperated in writing the series’ script. The Spiral was made possible with the support of the VAF/Media Fund of Flemish Media Minister Ingrid Lieten.