The German production “The Empress” won the International Emmy for best drama series. For screenwriter Eyssen, the success is proof that Hollywood-level series can come from Germany.
An incredulous German team with a speechless scriptwriter hug each other on stage in Manhattan. Katharina Eyssen and the directing duo Katrin Gebbe and Florian Cossen have sent a well-known material on a journey for an international audience: The historical series “The Empress” wins the International Emmy in the coveted main category “Best Drama Series”.
Eyssen: Germany at Hollywood level
The new Netflix interpretation of the Sisi story is not a film about a princess who marries an emperor, but a film about female leadership and a rebellious young woman. And proof that German series productions make it onto the world market, said screenwriter Eyssen.
“I think that really means that things can also come from Germany that work to the international standard – especially in these trades. That our costumes are at the Hollywood level,” says Eyssen. That has nothing to do with which country you come from – Germany is on the same level as the USA. You just have to look carefully.
The big issue is anti-Semitism
Rarely have so many German productions been nominated for the most important international television award from the USA. Three articles dealt with the topic of anti-Semitism and National Socialism: this ARD-Docudrama “Nazi Hunters – Journey into Darkness”, the Deutsche Welle documentary “Classics under the Swastika” and the historical episode “Meet Anne Frank” (KiKa and MR) by director Volker Schmidt-Sondermann.
“Meet Anne Frank for children. That was difficult. And the fact that we managed to do it here is a recognition in itself,” said Schmidt-Sondermann.
“Never forget” – also in art
And they are important contributions, emphasized the German actor Oliver Masucci, who was one of the presenters at this awards ceremony in Manhattan: “There are a few people in Germany at the moment who are forgetting that we all stand in tradition, a legacy to accept.” The statement “Never forget” shouldn’t just be a saying, says Masucci. “We have to show that in art too.”
The “International Emmys” are the global offshoot and, so to speak, the little sister of the main Emmys ceremony in January. This is considered the most important television award in the world.
Antje Passenheim, ARD New York, tagesschau, November 21, 2023 9:27 a.m