NEW YORK: The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has announced that it will host the semifinal round of its Asian/African Arts Programming category for the 2003 International Emmy Awards in Jordan next month.
The judging will take place in Amman, Jordan on 2 September. The overall event will be organized by the Middle East Center for Culture and Development from 1 to 6 September.
A company release quoted the academy's executive director Georges Leclere, as saying, "We are grateful to our board member Bassam Hajjawi, in partnership with IMZ's Franz Patay and Henk van der Meulen, who have arranged for the judging to take place for the first time ever in Jordan. We hope to encourage even more participation for the International Emmy Awards from this region."
The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, which is a division of the National Television Academy, is the largest organization of global broadcasters, with representatives from over 50 countries on its board.
The preliminary judging round of the International Emmy Awards took place in April and May and was presided by over 200 judges, who were experts in the TV industry.
Eight programme categories were judged -- Arts Programming, Children and Young People, Documentary, Drama Series, News Coverage, Popular Arts Scripted, Popular Arts Non-Scripted, and TV Movies/Mini-series. The first semifinals event took place in Montreux, Switzerland on 13 and 14 May.
Other semifinal judging took place between May and August in Montreux, Switzerland; Monte Carlo, Monaco; Moscow, Russia; London, England; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Toronto and Montreal, Canada; Almaty, Kazakhstan; Madrid, Spain; Hilversum, the Netherlands; Bangkok, Thailand; Miami, US; Guayaquil, Ecuador; and Mexico City, Mexico.
The release states that the finals judging will be late in September and nominees will be announced at MIPCOM on 10 October. All nominated programmes will be screened at the 5th iEmmys festival on 23 November and the winners will be announced at the 31st International Emmy Awards Gala in New York City on 24 November.