New York – This time, Germany shone twice at the International Emmys: with “Herrhausen – Lord of the Money” and the MDR children’s series “In Fritzi’s Footsteps – What was it like in the GDR?” two productions are vying for the coveted TV trophy.
BILD was live on site and spoke with the nominees before the awards ceremony.
Oliver Masucci: “The topic spreads around the world”
“Herrhausen” main actor Oliver Masucci (56)which portrays the charismatic Deutsche Bank boss with much-lauded intensity, was impressed by the global scope of the material – and how strongly the series resonated internationally: “It’s about the international Emmys, where productions from all over the world come together. And of course the topics are spread globally. The loans that Herrhausen gave to the East, the collapse of the Soviet Union, debt relief for the so-called Third World – these are global political issues. And it shows how integrated Germany is in world politics.”
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Director Strietmann: “Herrhausen” is a door opener
Renowned director Pia Strietmann, who has been awarded the Bavarian Television Prize and the Grimme Prize, beamed while speaking to BILD: “This means a lot to us because from the start we had the goal to create a series that could compete internationally. The Emmy nomination confirms our work.”
And Strietmann has long been thinking bigger: “I’ve been shooting in England this summer – for Sky International. That was my first foray into international work. And it came through ‘Herrhausen’ after we won the screenplay prize at Series Mania in Lille. After that, the door opened – and I’ve now gone through my first.”
The German series is celebrating their return on the world stage
ARD Degeto program director Christoph Pellander also told BILD he was honoured: “We are very, very proud of the nomination and feel very appreciated. We are very confident that the series meets international standards – and of course we hope that this will be confirmed tonight.”
And Pellander emphasizes: Germany has long been back on the world map in the international series business. “This is also nothing new for us. With ‘Babylon Berlin’ ten years ago we showed that German series could tell stories on a par with American ones. ‘Herrhausen’ definitely belongs to this series.”
German superstar Oliver Masucci has appeared in various international productions, most recently appearing in front of the camera for the series “The German”.
Producer: “Masucci takes this series to a different level”
For producer Leopold Hoesch, who is also a member of the Emmy jury, there is one main reason for his success: “He is a huge leading actor. For me, Oliver Masucci is one of the best actors we have. He has played almost every major figure in recent German history – and brings a presence that cannot be taught.”
Hoesch looks at the Emmy chances realistically – and at the same time with joy: “The nomination alone is a huge award. The series represents Europe against productions from Asia, Latin America and English-speaking countries. It’s a crazy competition. But I’m completely counting on Oliver and hope Herrhausen wins today.”
In addition to “Herrhausen” and “On Fritzi’s Traces,” Munich producer Herbert Kloiber is also nominated for the children’s series “Fallen” – but that series is in contention for the UK.
