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‘Content,’ ‘Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds’ vie for International Emmy Awards

'Content'. (Photo credit: Mia Forrest)

Charlotte Nicdao and Gemma Bird Matheson in ‘Content’ (Photo credit: ABC/Mia Forrest).

Ludo Studio’s vertical comedy Content and Endemol Shine Australia’s documentary Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds, both ABC commissions, will fly the flag for Australia at this year’s International Emmy Awards.

Produced by Meg O’Connell and written by Anna Barnes, the comedy starring Charlotte Nicdao as Lucy, an extrovert chasing Internet fame and Gemma Bird Matheson as her best friend Daisy, is nominated for Short-Form Series.

“I love this show so much and I’m so proud of the team,” Ludo Studio’s Daley Pearson said on social media. “This is Ludo’s 4th Emmy [nomination] and I’m so happy for everyone at the studio.”

In April, the Brisbane-based studio’s Bluey won the International Emmy Kids Award for best preschool program, following wins for interactive comedy #7DaysLater in 2015 and animated series Doodles in 2016.

The ESA documentary, a social experiment which demonstrated the physical and mental benefits of bringing together the very young and very old in a retirement home, is contending for Non-Scripted Entertainment.

Executive produced by Debbie Cuell and produced by Brooke Hulsman, the show based on a UK format and narrated by Annabel Crabb won the 2020 New York Festivals TV and Film Award for Social Issues Documentary and the 2019 AACTA Award for Best Documentary or Factual Program.

Michael Carrington, ABC director of entertainment and specialist, said: “These International Emmy Award nominations show that innovative and uplifting Australian stories resonate with audiences, no matter where they are. Thank you to the ABC teams and our production partners for bringing these outstanding programs to life.”

Earlier this month, Northern Pictures/ABC’s ABC series Hardball scored an International Emmy Kids Award nomination for best Kids: Live Action program.

The idea for Content as a comedy shot on mobile phones germinated during a pitch meeting that Pearson and fellow Ludo director Charlie Aspinwall had with Que Minh Luu, then an executive producer at the ABC, in 2018.

Que Minh took the concept to ABC head of scripted production Sally Riley, who encouraged her to develop a prototype with the ABC’s Content Innovation Lab, and Ludo hired Barnes.

The task of creating the in-phone experience fell to Canadian filmmaking collective Shy Kids: Walter Woodman, Matt Hornick, Patrick Cederberg and Greg Francis.

Some 44 nominees from 20 countries are vying for prizes, which will be presented on November 23 US time. Among the nominees, Glenda Jackson is up for best actress for her role in BBC dementia drama Elizabeth Is Missing.

PBS and Channel 4’s Oscar-nominated For Sama will compete for best documentary while Showtime’s Back To Life is up for best comedy.

In the drama series category, Netflix’s Criminal and Delhi Crime are recognized. For the full list of nominees go here.

All nominated program trailers and nominee interviews will be featured during the International Emmy World Television Festival from November 13 to 23 on the International Academy’s website www.iemmys.tv.

Short-Form Series

Content
Ludo Studio
Australia

#martyisdead
Bionaut / MALL.TV / cz.nic
Czech Republic

Mil Manos por Argentina (One Thousand Hands for Argentina)
Storylab / Atomic Lab / Flow
Argentina

People Like Us – Season 2
Action for AIDS Singapore / Cheo Pictures / Pilgrim Pictures
Singapore

Non-Scripted Entertainment

Canta Comigo
Rádio e Televisão Record S.A. / Endemol Shine
Brazil

Folkeopplysningen (The Public Enlightenment)
Teddy TV
Norway

MasterChef Thailand – Season 3
Heliconia H Group Company Limited
Thailand

Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds
Endemol Shine Australia
Australia