‘Ten Pound Poms,’ ‘The Fragile Colossus,’ ‘The Seed’ Triumph at Monte-Carlo Television Festival

“The Fragile Colossus,” “Ten Pound Poms” and “The Seed” ruled the roost at this year’s Monte-Carlo Television Festival, with the three programs collecting two prizes each at a small-screen showcase that ran June 16 – 20 in the Monaco capital.

Produced by Make It Happen Studio and Shoot Again Productions in partnership with TF1 France, telefilm “The Fragile Colossus” took home Monte-Carlo’s Golden Nymph for best film and the special jury prize. The French drama follows a one-time rugby star (played by soccer player-turned-actor Eric Cantona) confronting his history as a victim of childhood sexual abuse, and is based on the life and memoires of rugbyman Sébastien Boueilh.

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Winner of Nymphs for best series and best actor for star Warren Brown, “Ten Pound Poms” tracks a group of newly arrived Brits looking to build a better life in 1950s Australia. The six-part series was written by Danny Brocklehurst and produced by Eleven Film (“Sex Education,” “Red Rose”) and recently aired to strong rating on BBC One. The series streams on Stan in Australia.

European co-production “The Seed” claimed trophies for best creation and the BetaSeries public prize. Produced by Germany’s Odeon Fiction alongside Mia Film, Rein Film, ARD Degeto and Scandi public broadcaster NRK, the six-part police drama follows narrative tracks in Norway, Germany and Brussels, weaving them into a geopolitical thriller with an ecological edge.

Rounding out the fiction prizes, Danish star Marie Reuther (“The Kingdom”) was named best actress for her role in “Chorus Girls,” a 70s set musical drama following eight young women working as back-up dancers at Denmark’s most celebrated revue. Reuther plays Joy – the youngest dancer in the troupe and perhaps the most naturally gifted. The series comes courtesy of Apple Tree Productions.

In the parallel News and Documentary competition, France Television’s “Life on the Donbas Frontline” embedded viewers in war-torn Ukraine and was named best news program for its efforts,  while “The Man Who Played With Fire” from the U.K.’s Raw TV billed itself as the “greatest thriller never written” and tracked author Stieg Larsson’s real life investigation into the murder of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme. Finally, “Nazanin” from 649 Media and Channel 4 took home the jury prize.

The festival also awarded three additional awards, celebrating BFMTV’s “Russia, The Stolen Children of Ukraine” with the AMADE prize, and the Israel-set plea for religious co-existence “Oasis of Peace” with the Monaco Red Cross prize.

Created by Prince Albert II in honor of the festival’s founder, the ecologically minded Prince Rainier III Special Prize comes with grant of $10,900 and was attributed to “Until the Last Drop” from Poland’s Orient Film.

“Our festival has continued to evolve over the years and is now the pre-eminent event celebrating the content business in Europe,” said Monte-Carlo CEO Laurent Puons. “Through our highly respected Golden Nymph competition we have been able to acknowledge and applaud the very best programming from around the world.”

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