ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Alexander V. Kammel, founder and festival director of the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards, praised Rudaw Media Network on Saturday after two separate episodes of its flagship program Unfinished Stories earned a Dolphin Trophy and a Finalist Certificate at this year's festival.
“I was extremely positively surprised, if not very happy, to see that such delicate thematics are being treated in this super professional manner,” Kammel told Rudaw’s Rebwar Ali. “You belong to the group of the top television stations.”
Addressing Rudaw becoming the first Kurdish media outlet to receive the honors, Kammel described it as “a tremendous achievement,” noting that the productions came from “a region of the world that we in Europe and worldwide don't know much about. We hear a lot about it, but we don't know much... about their capabilities.”
Unfinished Stories is an investigative documentary program produced by Rudaw Media Network and presented by journalist Hevidar Ahmed. The show focuses on deep-dive field reporting across Iraq, the Kurdistan Region and the broader Middle East.
One of its episodes, Future of Hezbollah, won a Dolphin Trophy in the Current Affairs category, while another episode, End of Mesopotamia, received a Finalist Certificate after reaching the festival’s final stage.
The recognitions place Rudaw “on top of the top,” Kammel noted, explaining that the awards are judged by a panel of around 100 media professionals.
“You are being judged by your peers, which means that the people who are doing the same programs as you are doing are judging your films,” Kammel said. “And luckily, both films that you have entered were among the winners.”
The red carpet awards ceremony is scheduled for September 24 in Cannes, France, where Rudaw will officially receive its accolades.
“You are a very proud winner,” Kammel added. “I am looking forward to having your people come to Cannes to pick up the award, and to be among all the other winners coming from around the world.”
