RTE documentary judged 'best in the world'

An RTÉ True Lives documentary, which broadcast to wide audience acclaim in February, was last night acclaimed as “the best television programme in the world this year" at the Banff Rockie Awards 2003 in Canada.
The documentary ‘Chavez – Inside the Coup’, which charts the overthrow, and subsequent return to power of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in 2002, won ‘Best Information and Current Affairs Programme’, and beat off stiff competition from BBC and CBS productions, and Hollywood’s The West Wing, to take the coveted $50,000 Global Television Grand Prize.
The documentary, was directed by Kim Bartley and Donncha Ó Briain, and produced by David Power of the Galway-based independent company, in association with RTÉ/ The Irish Film Board/BBC/ZDF/ARTE/NPS/CoBo/YLE.
The company had secured unique access to President Chavez for an observational documentary and were with him in the Presidential Palace in Caracas when the coup took place.
Kevin Dawson, Commissioning Editor of Factual Programmes at RTÉ Television, said: “This award is a wonderful achievement for the film and for Power Pictures – an Irish independent production company which tackled a major international documentary subject and produced one of the most memorable documentary films of recent times.”
The jurors at the awards were of the view that ‘Chavez - Inside the Coup’ raised some of the same troubling issues from a markedly different perspective. Jury President Trina McQueen described the programme as a “wonderful story, brilliantly told”.
She said: “The energy and pace of this documentary, combined with remarkable insider footage, make it a thrilling experience for the viewer. The meticulous journalism of this program exposes the mendacious journalism of others. A combination of intelligence, passion, and humour illuminates this controversial tale of big oil, international intrigue, charismatic leadership, class struggle, revolution and ultimately, the hopes of people for real democracy.”
Accepting the award RTÉ’s Managing Director Organisation and Development, Liam Miller, said it was an honour to do so on behalf of the young, committed and courageous programme makers Power Pictures.
He acknowledged the support of the community of broadcasters and other institutions who had been convinced by the producers that Hugo Chavez was a story that needed to be told to the world.
The world premiere of the documentary on RTÉ last February resulted in hundreds of telephone calls and messages from RTÉ viewers acclaiming the documentary and asking for a repeat showing. The documentary was shown again in peak-time in March.
(MM)