by Mostra, Belgium

receiving the Special Award for Aesthetics and Design, Belgium

Laudation:
Laudator: Miguel de Aguilera

Europe is a fascinating idea, a dream that, in our endeavour to fulfil it, is being attained little by little. Europe is also a political scene, a social framework, a melting pot of cultures where millions of people are developing their life project. It is important to communicate the idea and realities of Europe. But it is also essential to know how to communicate efficiently, using the elements, tools and means that most European and non European people usually employ.

And that is what OPINION CORNER does. It talks about Europe, it reports facts and data, serving as a platform to express views and opinions. And this is achieved by combining the use of text, audio, video, graphics, Flash animation and multimedia products, in an effort to employ the same tools that their audience uses. The format chosen by OPINION CORNER meets the preferences of the readers: use of multimedia technology, clear presentation of ideas through the applications required for each case, interaction allowing non-sequential reading, and providing all the means needed to get deeper into any subject of interest.

OPINION CORNER is an excellent multimedia product which is very well conceived, and presenting a user-friendly design. It offers dynamic elements, stimulating graphics, vibrant colours and a high chromatic contrast (red, blue and black are widely used to highlight images). OPINION CORNER makes an efficient use of a number of elements of expression at the service of contents and readers, as they allow the clear presentation of information and views.

by Illume Ltd., Finland

receiving the Special Award for Discourse and Politics

Laudation:
Laudator: by Mike Dawney

A documentary on the everyday work of politicians in a coalition government in a complex environment of different interests

Coalition governments have long been part of the political landscape of European countries and, indeed are an essential part of the working of the European Parliament. In some countries, this system is so well established that the negotiations required to form and implement policy are fairly routine. For others, including, now, the UK, this kind of politics is unusual and requires some rethinking of the ways in which political decision making can take place. In either case, the perceptions of the political process become simplified in most media discourses of politics to obliterate the complexity of the processes through which government actually takes place. In particular, it is rare to see insights into the ways in which differing interests – not just those of the political parties and their explicit policy positions, but also their constituents, interest groups, lobbyists and so on, are represented and feed into the political process.
This admirable documentary achieves just this. In a classic documentary style, enlivened by dramatic touches and genre cross-references, the film follows politicians from the various political parties and other interested groups in detailed discussion of a specific policy proposal – that of increases to fees charged to users of health and social services. While this is an issue of particular interest to Finnish viewers, both the theme of charging or increasing charges for welfare provision and the demonstration of the interactions between the politicians from different parties and the treatment of lobbyists and representatives of the client/patient groups has resonance for all European countries. In particular, the subtle revelation of the domination of the political/economic machinary over social equity issues is well displayed without polemic. The voices are allowed to speak for themselves.

The jury is delighted to make the Special Award for Discourse and Politics to Illume productions of Helsinki for Liikkumuvara/ Within Limits  and to Director Annika Grof  and Producer Pertti Veijalainen.

by ORF Redaktion Zeitgeschichte, Austria

receiving the Special Award Education and Ethics

Laudation:
Laudator: Thomas A. Bauer

The ORF TV production “Der zweite Welkrieg” is an impressing media oevre, so far submitted to the jury in five pieces, interpreting the horrible history from an authentic Austrian point of view. The production is the ever first one that assesses the participation of Austrians in doing the gruesome and fearful business of war from an Austrian self-critical perspective. This was possibly made by fundamental historical analysis, through extensive journalistic research and through a sensitive strategy of communication in interviewing the last still living contemporary witnesses in methods of oral history. For some of the witnesses the documentary became an act of self-liberation finally saying the fearful truth.

Each of the pieces of the TV serial on second world war  and the Austrian enmeshment has to be seen as  a self-contained comprehensive historical analysis on heroes, criminals, victims, on ideological, economical and mental conditions and on the amentia and craziness that was contributed to this crash of political and occidental reasonability through political, religious and societal institutions.

The history of mankind, of society and communities, as it is done through intelligent reflection or scientific observation, like it has been worked out in this remarkable TV documentary, is the a search for any logical explanation, and is a moral frame for a learning discourse. The difficulty of and for a TV documentary reflecting to such a serious topic is to tell drama and story but not to blanket the history in flat entertainment. The whole media oevre “Der zweite Weltkrieg” is a masterpiece of analytical narration that expects from recipients to overcome the simple schemes of distinction and of distribution of blame like the friend-enemy-scheme, the hero-masses-scheme, the aggressor-victim-scheme, the power- helplessness-schema, or the guilty-innocent.That inspiration is the European connotation within this historical serial. It prepares to learn that the distribution of power is a question of communication and participation competence. The Jury was convinced that this media documentary is not just a historical narration, this is – seen in the context of education -  history in the making. Through that achievement the serial “Der zweite Weltkrieg” matches exactly on of the special focuses of the Erasmus EuroMedia Awards. Therfore the ESEC- Jury is proud to award the ORF Department “Zeitgeschichte” for its outstanding TV documentary “Der zweite Weltkrieg” with the Special Award for Education and Ethics.