The 2025 International Emmy Awards winners were announced Monday at a gala event in New York. For the 53rd annual edition, winners came from 64 contenders across 16 categories representing a record 26 countries.
Among special honors: Disney Entertainment co-chairman Dana Walden received the International Emmy Founders Award — which was presented to her by megahit producer Ryan Murphy.
“I know this award is typically given to the people who create the stories. And rightfully so. But I view 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 that believes in it enough to clear the path. My approach has never been complicated: Find singular 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 its run: “It wasn’t the worst testing pilot in history – trust me — but it also didn’t get the reaction it deserved. I learned two lessons that changed the way I work with creators. First, through Ryan’s eyes, I got to understand how harsh criticism feels to a creator — particularly if the story is personal. And, second, the feedback wasn’t really for him – it was for the executives. It was going to be our job 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, referenced 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.
“Those shows all have two things in common – they were creatively ambitious and excellent,” she said. “And, though they were made in the US, they were also huge hits around the world. Because great storytelling is truly universal. And that belief – that great stories can come from anywhere and belong to everyone – is at the heart of The Walt Disney Company. It’s also a guiding principle of my mentor and friend, Bob Iger. Bob’s always championed the simple, yet powerful idea that if you get the storytelling right, everything else will follow. No matter how much the world changes, people will always want to feel connected, and they will always need to be entertained.”
As for this year’s awards, the U.K. came into the competition with the most nominations across all categories with 12. 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, Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates.
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“Live With Kelly and Mark” hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos fronted this year’s International Emmys, which featured sponsors including Variety. Besides Walden, honorees this year also included Grupo Globo chairman/president João Roberto Marinho, who received the directorate award.
Here are the 2025 winners:
Arts Programming
“Art Matters with Melvyn Bragg” (United Kingdom)
“DJ Mehdi: Made In France” (France)
“Herchcovitch; Exposto” [“Herchcovitch; Exposed”] (Brazil)
WINNER: “Ryuichi Sakamoto: Last Days” (Japan) (NHK Japanese Broadcasting Corporation)
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 Llegaron de Noche” [“They Came at Night”] (Mexico)
Current Affairs
WINNER: “Dispatches: Kill Zone: Inside Gaza” (United Kingdom) (Basement Films)
“Philippines: Diving for Gold” (France)
“Repórter Record Investigação: Desaparecidos Forçados” [“Enforced Disappearances”] (Brazil)
“Walk the Line” (Singapore)
Documentary
WINNER: “Hell Jumper” (United Kingdom) (Expectation TV)
“King of Kings: Chasing Edward Jones” (France)
“O Prazer é Meu” [“It’s My Pleasure”] (Brazil)
“School Ties” (South Africa)
Drama Series
“Las Azules” [“Women in Blue”] (Mexico)
“Bad Boy” (Israel)
“Koek” [“Cake”] (South Africa)
“Rivals” (United Kingdom)
Kids: Animation
WINNER: “Bluey” (Australia) (Ludo Studio)
“Lamput – Season 4” (Singapore)
“Lupi e Baduki” (Brazil)
“Muumilaakso – Season 4” [“Moominvalley”] (Finland)
Kids: Factual & Entertainment
WINNER: “Auf Fritzis Spuren – Wie war das so in der DDR?” [“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: Safety’s Somber Side” (Brazil)
“The Gangs of Haiti” (United Kingdom)
WINNER: “Gaza, Search for Life” (Qatar) (Al Jazeera Arabic Programs Directorate)
“Syria – The Truth Coming 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 Danmark)
Short-Form Series
“Beyond Dancing” (Hong Kong — China)
WINNER: “La médiatrice” [“The Mediator”] (Canada) (KOTV)
“My Dead Mom” (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 the Spanish Football” (Spain) (Netflix Documentary / You First Originals Production)
“Sven” (United Kingdom)
Telenovela
WINNER: “Deha” [“The Good & The Bad”] (Türkiye) (Ay Yapim)
“Mania de Vocȇ” [“Crazy About You”] (Brazil)
“Regreso a Las Sabinas” [“Return to Las Sabinas”] (Spain)
“Valle Salvaje” (Spain)
TV Movie/Mini-Series
“Amar Singh Chamkila” (India)
“Herrhausen: The Banker and the Bomb” (Germany)
WINNER: “Lost Boys & Fairies” (United Kingdom) (Duck Soup Films)
“Vencer o Morir” [“Victory or Death”] (Chile)
From Variety US