RTS NI announces shortlist for its 6th Annual Programme Awards

The final shortlist has been announced for this year's Annual Programme Awards by RTS NI, celebrating local film and TV success

The NI creative sector has become an important part of the local business scene, and the Royal Television Society Northern Ireland's Annual Programme Awards show is one of the key events of the creative sector calendar. The society has just announced the shortlist for this year's upcoming 6th annual awards.

Like many events this year, the awards will be taking place virtually due to the impact of Covid-19. The event will be sponsored by Ka-Boom and delivered in partnership with BBC Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Screen and Channel 4. Host Patrick Kielty will conduct the virtual awards show, which will be live at 8PM on Thursday 12th November on both the RTS NI website and facebook page.

This year's finalists are below. The Brian Waddell Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Northern Ireland television and film industry will also be announced on the night.

Children’s and / or Animation

• Jam Media: The Voyage
• Tyrone Productions NI: My Life: My Pigeons and Me
• Paper Owl Films: Pablo 

Scripted Comedy

• The Comedy Unit: Soft Border Patrol 
• Nice One Productions: The Paddy Raff Show

Documentary

• Erica Starling Productions: Arena: The Changin’ Times of Ike White
• DoubleBand Films: Lost Lives
• DoubleBand Films in association with Lone Star Productions: Seamus Heaney and the music of what happens.

Entertainment

• Livewire: Celebrity Mastermind Champion of Champions Special
• Stellify Media: Pretty Single
• Stellify Media: There’s No Place Like Tyrone

Specialist Factual

• Waddell Media: Dana: The Original Derry Girl
• BBC NI: Peter Taylor: My Journey Through The Troubles
• Waddell Media: Work on the Wild Side

Features and / or Factual Entertainment

• Alleycats: Pulling with My Parents
• Stellify Media: Goodbye House
• Rare TV: Mountain Vets.

Current Affairs

• UTV: Up Close - The Poverty Spiral
• UTV: Up Close - Tied to Terror
• BBC NI: Spotlight - Fear and Loathing in Quinn Country

Original Music Score 

• BBC NI: Sheridan Tongue - Spotlight on the Troubles: A Secret History
• Rollem Productions: Andrew Simon McAllister - My Left Nut
• DoubleBand Films: Mark Gordon, Neil Martin, Richard Hill, Charles Graham – Lost Lives.

News Coverage (sponsored by Carson McDowell )

• UTV: UTV Live at Six 
• BBC: BBC Newsline: Coronavirus Living in a Pandemic
• Tern TV: The People’s News 

Drama

• Out of Orbit: The Dig
• Rollem Productions: My Left Nut
• BBC NI & The Lyric Theatre: BBC Arts NI presents: Splendid Isolation

Vikkie Taggart, Chair of RTS NI says: "I’m delighted to say that despite the challenges we’ve had this year, we also recorded our highest level of entries, which bears testament to the resilience and strength of our industry and the amazing wealth of high quality content which has been produced over the past 12 months, often in very difficult conditions. We look forward to showcasing the best programmes and the best people making a positive contribution to Northern Ireland’s creative sector at our virtual awards ceremony next month."

Richard Williams, Chief Executive, Northern Ireland Screen said: "Northern Ireland Screen is delighted to once again support the RTS NI Awards and we are so happy that they are able to continue this year, albeit in a virtual capacity. I hope that the screen industry will come together online on the night to celebrate their collective creative output. 2020 has been a tough year for our industry but when you look at this shortlist and see the impressive range of content from current affairs to animation, we have so much to be proud of."

Source: Written based on press release