NHNZ Films Scoop Major Chinese Festival

For immediate release November 22, 2004

NHNZ Films Scoop Major Chinese Festival

NHNZ was the big winner at this year’s Beijing International Science Film Festival.

The company scooped the Nature and Environment category in the festival’s competition with the documentary The World’s Biggest Baddest Bugs winning the gold medal, with the silver medal in the same category going to Spider Power, another NHNZ show.

Held earlier this month, the Beijing festival is one of the biggest of its type in the world. Co-sponsored by the China Association for Science and Technology and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, the competition section of the festival included 184 titles from 79 productions companies in 19 countries.

The winners were selected by an international panel of 12 scientists and filmmakers.

Made by NHNZ for the US cable channel Animal Planet, The World’s Biggest Baddest Bugs is a presenter-led programme that uses fun facts and graphic demonstrations to show the amazing abilities of arthropods.

The show’s presenter Ruud Kleinpaste says the win is evidence that a fascination with the insect world is universal.

“As an entomologist and TV presenter I’ve always tried to get the audience as enthused about the insect world as I am. It’s very satisfying to know that viewers in China can watch and appreciate a show about insects as much as one in America, or Europe or New Zealand.”

NHNZ Managing Director Michael Stedman says the wins for both The World’s Biggest Baddest Bugs and Spider Power is a wonderful payoff for the members of each production team and an acknowledgement that well made science and nature documentaries will always have a universal audience.

“The challenge for NHNZ has always been to combine good stories and real science with broad appeal shows for a multi-country audience. I believe all these elements have all come together in Bugs and Spider Power. These shows have raised the bar considerably, both in style and content, in science and nature television.”

NHNZ is one of the world’s leading producers of factual programming embracing the genres of nature, health, science, adventure, and people. With over 60 programmes currently in production, its crews work in locations around the world to produce a diversity of films for international broadcasters including Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, TLC, Discovery Health, National Geographic Channel,

France 5, NHK in Japan and NDR in Germany. Based in Dunedin, New Zealand, the company is wholly owned by Fox Television Studios.

ENDS

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