The sandman, political satire with Jan Böhmermann and the queer styling team “Queer Eye Germany” in gaudy costumes: At the gala for the Grimme award ceremony on Friday evening in the Marler Stadttheater, 16 of the undoped but coveted TV awards for particularly successful programs are on display been awarded. There were also three special prizes. The director of the Grimme Institute, Frauke Gerlach, praised an “excellent prize year”.
The Vox show “Zum Schwarzwälder Hirsch – an extraordinary kitchen crew and Tim Mälzer” stood out in particular. In addition to a jury award in the entertainment category, it also received an audience award. TV chef Mälzer works on the show with people with trisomy 21 and trains them for the nerve-wracking job in the kitchen and serving in a restaurant.
André Dietz, who mentored the program, said at the ceremony: “Inclusion is not an illusion. We made many bosses think: why don’t I have any people with disabilities in the shop myself?”
The special honor of the Adult Education Association (DVV), the award donor, went to the cabaret artist Maren Kroymann. As the first woman with her own satirical program on German television, she repeatedly used the medium to protest against the over-representation of an image of women shaped by male taste, according to the DVV’s justification.
“I was bulky. Some hierarchs hated me,” Kroymann told the dpa. However, their efforts have been quite successful. Women’s issues such as sexual harassment or marital rape, which she took up in the 1990s, are no longer dismissed today. However, the goal of true equality is far from being achieved. It’s not about menophobia. “I’m not against men, I’m just against machos.”
The sandman is awarded for the first time
The decades-old classic in the children’s program, the Sandman, received an award for the first time. The production for the RBB “Sandman Frame: Recycling Vehicle” shows how something new can be created from waste, defective or old parts.
Like his predecessors, he used classic animation technology with adjustable puppets, director Stefan Schomerus told dpa. “The Sandman is a ritual of coming to rest in the evening.” In view of the turbulent times, this is perhaps even more important than it used to be, said Schomerus. “The most important thing is the dream sand at the end. It makes for good dreams.”
The jury awarded another Grimme Prize for the RBB political magazine “Kontraste” and its investigative research in the radical right-wing milieu. The award is a great incentive for the team, said editor-in-chief Georg Heil, brother of Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil. Although the research was not really dangerous, it was always unpleasant. “There was also jostling,” said Heil of the dpa.
“Queer Eye Germany” and Böhmermann
The Netflix streaming service received the award for its “Queer Eye Germany” format, in which queer lifestyle experts give tips for their candidates’ lives. The five members of the team created a great atmosphere on the red carpet with glittering and flashy costumes and sexy poses. “Because of the train strike, we came by bus from Berlin and drank the first champagne in the morning,” said “Queer Eye” Avi Jakobs.
Jan Böhmermann was honored on Friday together with his team, which combines satire with investigative research in a rare combination, as it was said. It is already his sixth Grimme Prize. Böhmermann emphasized that his team consists of around 50 people. “I really like Grimme awards.” Behind it, however, are “much more than are here on the stage”.
According to Gerlach, the quality of the productions that have been recognized as exemplary should also be considered in the ongoing debate on the reform of public service broadcasting. The sustainability and acceptance of the broadcasters must be preserved. “Every reform step must be geared towards this.”
