Mediacorp clinches four Silvers at Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards

Singapore, 4 October 2023 – Mediacorp has won four coveted Silver dolphin trophies at the 14th edition of the prestigious Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards, announced at an awards presentation ceremony in Cannes, France. These were for CNA documentaries The Exiles: My Stolen Chinese Father in the “History and Personalities/Portraits” category; A Million Cuts: India’s C-Section Epidemic in the “Human Concerns and Social Issues” category; Riot Island: Prison in Flame in the “Docudrama” category; and The Last Defenders in the “Environment, Ecology and Sustainability” category.

The Exiles: My Stolen Chinese Father, which was recently honoured at the ContentAsia Awards 2023 for being the “Best Factual Programme Made in Asia for Multiple Asian and/or International Market”, is the first episode in a two-part historical documentary series which reveals untold stories of love and loss during an era of racially motivated deportations from post-war UK and Australia. It reveals the gripping story of how hundreds of Chinese seamen who served with the Allies during the Second World War mysteriously vanished from their homes and families in Liverpool.

A Million Cuts: India’s C-Section Epidemic is the second episode in the 10th season of CNA’s award-winning investigative series Undercover Asia, which uncovers the hard truths in the underbelly of Asia and exposes the unintended fallout of change in the fast-moving continent. Produced by Blue Petal Films, A Million Cuts: India’s C-Section Epidemic zooms in on the controversial issue of caesarian sections, or C-sections, in India. The episode explores why millions of mothers are going under the knife unnecessarily, with the C-section rate in India's private hospitals a whopping 47.4 percent, far greater than the 15 percent threshold recommended by the World Health Organisation.

Riot Island: Prison In Flames, which recently clinched multiple awards at the New York Festivals TV & Film Awards 2023, is the second episode in a two-part documentary which traces the rise and fall of Singapore’s first and only open-air prison on Pulau Senang. It explores the secrets behind this revolutionary social experience in Singapore in the 1960s to rehabilitate its most feared mobsters through hard work, and how it went from being a beacon for prison reform to ending in a deadly riot.  

Finally, The Last Defenders goes deep into Southeast Asia’s jungles to investigate the cause of deforestation and the threats faced by wildlife in the face of increased poaching. In this, the show features environmental defenders who put their lives at risk while protecting the forests and wildlife against illegal poachers and criminal syndicates.

Tham Loke Kheng, Chief Executive Officer, Mediacorp, said, “We are delighted that CNA’s content has once again been recognised at the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards. These wins are an important feather in the cap for all our production colleagues and partners involved in the four documentaries, and they underscore our strengths in telling authentic, captivating stories through uniquely Asian perspectives. My warmest congratulations on your outstanding achievements!”

Nearly 900 entries from more than 45 countries were received for this year’s Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards. Established in 2010, the awards honour the best corporate films, online media productions, documentaries, and reports annually in Cannes, one of the world’s most important film centres.

Viewers can catch all four winning CNA documentaries on mewatch, Mediacorp’s digital video-on-demand platform, at mewatch.sg.