The winners of the 2025 International Emmy Awards were announced Monday at a gala in New York. The 53rd annual competition saw 64 winners in 16 categories, representing a record 26 countries.
Among the special honors: Disney Entertainment co-chairman Dana Walden received the International Founders Emmy Award, which was presented to her by megahit producer Ryan Murphy.
“I know this award is usually given to people who make stories. And rightfully so. But I view this award as recognition of a vital partnership,” Walden said in her acceptance speech. “One that exists between a creator who dreams a dream and a team who believes in it enough to clear the way. My approach has never been difficult: find unique voices… and help them do their best work. And most importantly, build a culture of creative risk-taking.”
She also spoke about the development of Murphy's “Glee” in the early stages of its release: “It wasn't the worst test 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 realized how harsh criticism a writer feels, especially if the story is personal. And second, the feedback was not for him, but for the executives. Ours. the job had to be to protect 'Glee' and make the audience understand something different and original.”
Walden, who received a standing ovation as she walked up to the stage, cited as examples 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.”
“All of these shows had two things in common – they were creatively ambitious and excellent,” she said. “And although they were created in the USA, they also became huge hits around the world. Because great storytelling is truly universal. And this belief that great stories can come from anywhere and belong to everyone is at the core of The Walt Disney Company. It is also the guiding principle of my mentor and friend Bob Iger. Bob has always championed the simple but powerful idea that if you tell stories right, everything else will follow. No matter how much the world changes, people will always want to feel connection, and they will always need to be entertained.”
As for this year's awards, the UK entered 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, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
Live with Kelly and Mark hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos served as this year's hosts. International Emmywhich featured sponsors including Diversity. In addition to Walden, this year's honorees also included Grupo Globo Chairman/President João Roberto Mariño. Here are the 2025 winners:
Art of Programming
“Art Matters with Melvyn Bragg” (UK)
“DJ Mehdi: Made In France” (France)
“Gershkovich; exposed” [“Herchcovitch; Exposed”] (Brazil)
WINNER: Ryuichi Sakamoto: The Last Days (Japan) (Japanese Broadcasting Corporation NHK)
Best Performance by an Actor
Diljit Dosanjh in Amar Singh Chamkila (India)
David Mitchell in Ludwig (UK)
WINNER: Oriol Pla in Hey Junkie [“I, Addict”] (Spain) (Alea Media/Disney+)
Diego Vazquez in One Hundred Years of Solitude (Colombia)
Best Performance by an Actress
Charlotte Hope – “Catch Me Killer” (South Africa)
WINNER: Anna Maxwell Martin in Until I Kill You (UK) (World production)
Carolina Miranda in the film “Mujeres Asesinas – Season 2” (Mexico)
Maria Seed in “Point of Pain” [“Pressure Point”] (Sweden)
Comedy
“Chicken Nugget” (South Korea)
“Iris” (France)
WINNER: Ludwig (Great Britain) (Big Talk Studios/That Mitchell & Webb Company)
“And they came at night” [“They Came at Night”] (Mexico)
Current affairs
WINNER: “Dispatches: Impact Zone: Inside the Gaza Strip” (UK) (Basement Films)
“Philippines: Diving for Gold” (France)
“Reporter Investigation: Enforced Disappearances” [“Enforced Disappearances”] (Brazil)
“Walk the Line” (Singapore)
Documentary
WINNER: Hell Jumper (UK) (Waiting for TV)
“King of Kings: In Pursuit of Edward Jones” (France)
“My pleasure” [“It’s My Pleasure”] (Brazil)
“School Ties” (South Africa)
Drama series
“Blues” [“Women in Blue”] (Mexico)
“Bad Boy” (Israel)
“Cake” [“Cake”] (SOUTH AFRICA)
“Rivals” (UK)
Children: Animation
WINNER: Bluey (Australia) (Game Studio)
“Lamps – Season 4” (Singapore)
“Lupi e Baduqui” (Brazil)
“Moomin Valley – Season 4” [“Moominvalley”] (Finland)
Kids: Facts and Fun
WINNER: “In the footsteps of Fritzi – what was it like in the GDR?” [“On Fritzi’s Traces – What Was It Like in the GDR?”] (Germany) (Film Balance/MDR/WDR)
“Let's go, the podium is ours” (Brazil)
“The Children Love Us” (UK)
Playroom Live (South Africa)
Kids: Live Action
WINNER: Fallen (UK) (Night Train Media/Silver Reel/Hero Squared/UMedia)
“Luz” (Brazil) “Prefects” (Kenya)
“Shut Up” (Norway)
News
“Fantastic: Salvador: The Dark Side of Security” (Brazil)
“Gangs of Haiti” (UK)
WINNER: “Gaza. In search of life” (Qatar) (Al Jazeera Arabic Program Directorate)
“Syria – the truth is coming out” (Sweden)
Unscripted entertainment
“Big Brother: Canada – Season 12” (Canada)
“Love is Blind: Habibi” (UAE)
“Who is Mask? – Season 6″ [“The Masked Singer”] (Mexico)
WINNER: “Heroes of Shaolin” (Denmark) (Metronome Productions / Banijay / TV 2 Danmark)
Brief series
“Beyond Dancing” (Hong Kong – China)
WINNER: “The Mediator” [“The Mediator”] (Canada) (KOTV)
“My Dead Mother” (Canada)
“Everything Changes – Season 4” [“Change is Everything”] (Argentina)
Sports documentary
“Argentina '78” (Argentina)
Chasing the Sun 2 (South Africa)
WINNER: “It's Over: The Kiss That Changed Spanish Football” (Spain) (Netflix Documentary / You First Originals Production)
“Sven” (UK)
telenovela
WINNER: Dekha [“The Good & The Bad”] (Turkje) (Ay Yapim)
“You, mania” [“Crazy About You”] (Brazil)
“Return to Las Sabinas” [“Return to Las Sabinas”] (Spain)
“Wild Valley” (Spain)
TV movie/mini-series
“Amar Singh Chamkila” (India)
“Herrhausen: The Banker and the Bomb” (Germany)
WINNER: Lost Boys and Fairies (UK) (Duck Soup Movies)
“Win or Die” [“Victory or Death”] (Chile)
