International Emmy Awards 2025 winners announced, Dana Walden honored
The winners of the 2025 International Emmy Awards were announced on Monday at a gala event in New York. For the 53rd annual edition, the winners came from 64 contenders in 16 categories representing a record 26 countries.
Among the special honors, Dana Walden, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, received the International Emmy Founders Award, presented to her by megahit producer Ryan Murphy.
“I know this award is usually given to the people who create the stories. And rightly so. But I see this honor as recognition of a vital partnership,” Walden said in her acceptance speech. “One that exists between the creator who dreams the dream, and the team who believes in it enough to pave the way. My approach has never been complicated: find unique voices… and help them do their best work. And most importantly, build a culture of creative risk-taking.”
She also discussed nurturing Murphy’s ‘Glee’ early in the series: “It wasn’t the worst test pilot in history – believe me – but it didn’t get the response it deserved either. I learned two lessons that changed the way I work with creators. First, through Ryan’s eyes, I learned to understand how harsh criticism feels to a creator – especially when the story is personal. And second, the feedback wasn’t really for him – it was for the executives. Our job would be to protect ‘Glee’ and teach an audience how to understand something different and original.
Walden, who received a standing ovation as she approached the stage, pointed to some of the shows she oversaw early in her career at 20th Century Fox TV, including “The X-Files,” “Ally McBeal,” “24” and “The Simpsons” as examples.
“These shows all have two things in common: they were creatively ambitious and excellent,” she said. “And while they were made in the USA, they were also huge hits around the world. Because great stories are truly universal. And that belief – that great stories can come from anywhere and belong to anyone – is at the heart of The Walt Disney Company. It’s also a guiding principle of my mentor and friend, Bob Iger. Bob has always championed the simple, yet powerful idea that if you tell the stories well, everything else will follow. No matter how much the world changes, people will always want to feel connected, and they will. there is always entertainment to be had.”
In terms of this year’s awards, Britain came into the competition with the most nominations across all categories, with twelve. Other countries represented included Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong – China, India, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Norway, Qatar, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
“Live With Kelly and Mark” hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos hosted this year’s International Emmys, which included sponsors Variety. In addition to Walden, this year’s winners also included Grupo Globo Chairman/President João Roberto Marinho. These are the 2025 winners:
Arts programming
“Art Matters with Melvyn Bragg” (United Kingdom)
“DJ Mehdi: Made In France” (France)
“Herchcovitsj; Exposto” [“Herchcovitch; Exposed”] (Brazil)
WINNER: “Ryuichi Sakamoto: Last Days” (Japan) (NHK Japanese broadcaster)
Best Performance by an Actor
Diljit Dosanjh in “Amar Singh Chamkila” (India)
David Mitchell in “Ludwig” (United Kingdom)
WINNER: Oriol Pla in “Yo, adicto” [“I, Addict”] (Spain) (Alea Media/Disney+)
Diego Vasquez in “One Hundred Years of Solitude” (Colombia)
Best Performance by an Actress
Charlotte Hope in “Catch Me A Killer” (South Africa)
WINNER: Anna Maxwell Martin in “Until I Kill You” (United Kingdom) (World productions)
Carolina Miranda in “Mujeres Asesinas – Season 2” (Mexico)
Maria Sid in “Smärtpunkten” [“Pressure Point”] (Sweden)
Comedy
“Chicken nugget” (South Korea)
“Iris” (France)
WINNER: “Ludwig” (United Kingdom) (Big Talk Studios / That Mitchell & Webb Company)
“Y Llégaron de Noche” [“They Came at Night”] (Mexico)
Current affairs
WINNER: “Dispatches: Kill Zone: Inside Gaza” (United Kingdom) (basement films)
“Philippines: diving for gold” (France)
“Reporter Record Investigação: Desaparecidos Forçados” [“Enforced Disappearances”] (Brazil)
“Walk the Line” (Singapore)
Documentary
WINNER: “Hell Jumper” (United Kingdom) (TV forecast)
“King of Kings: Hunting for Edward Jones” (France)
“O Prazeré Meu” [“It’s My Pleasure”] (Brazil)
“School Ties” (South Africa)
Drama series
“Las Azules” [“Women in Blue”] (Mexico)
“Bad Boy” (Israel)
“Cake” [“Cake”] (South Africa)
“Rivals” (United Kingdom)
Children: animation
WINNER: “Bluey” (Australia) (Ludo studio)
“Lamput – Season 4” (Singapore)
“Lupi e Baduki” (Brazil)
“Muumilaakso – Season 4” [“Moominvalley”] (Finland)
Children: factual and entertainment
WINNER: “Auf Fritzis Spuren – Who was so in the GDR?” [“On Fritzi’s Traces – What Was It Like in the GDR?”] (Germany) (Balance film / MDR / WDR)
“Bora, O Pódio é Nosso” (Brazil)
“Kids Like Us” (United Kingdom)
“Playroom Live” (South Africa)
Kids: Live Action
WINNER: “Fallen” (United Kingdom) (Night Train Media / Silver Reel / Hero Squared / UMedia)
“Luz” (Brazil) “Prefects” (Kenya)
“Shut Up” (Norway)
News
“Fantástico: El Salvador: the bleak side of security” (Brazil)
“The Gangs of Haiti” (United Kingdom)
WINNER: “Gaza, Search for Life” (Qatar) (Al Jazeera Arabic Programs Directorate)
“Syria – The truth comes out” (Sweden)
Non-scripted entertainment
“Big Brother: Canada – Season 12” (Canada)
“Love is blind: Habibi” (United Arab Emirates)
“¿Quién es la Máscara? – Season 6” [“The Masked Singer”] (Mexico)
WINNER: “Shaolin Heroes” (Denmark) (Metronome Productions / Banijay / TV 2 Denmark)
Short series
“Beyond Dancing” (Hong Kong – China)
WINNER: “La médiatrice” [“The Mediator”] (Canada) (KOTV)
“My Dead Mother” (Canada)
“Todo se Transforma – Season 4” [“Change is Everything”] (Argentina)
Sports documentary
“Argentina ’78” (Argentina)
“Chasing the Sun 2” (South Africa)
WINNER: “It’s all over: the kiss that changed Spanish football” (Spain) (Netflix documentary / You First Originals production)
“Sven” (United Kingdom)
Telenovela
WINNER: “Deha” [“The Good & The Bad”] (Turkey) (Ay Yapim)
“Mania de Vocȇ” [“Crazy About You”] (Brazil)
“Regreso a Las Sabinas” [“Return to Las Sabinas”] (Spain)
“Valle Salvaje” (Spain)
TV movie/miniseries
“Amar Singh Chamkila” (India)
“Herrhausen: The Banker and the Bomb” (Germany)
WINNER: “Lost Boys & Fairies” (United Kingdom) (Duck soup movies)
“Vencer o Morir” [“Victory or Death”] (Chile)
