German youth series on East Germany wins International Emmy

The German children's series "Auf Fritzis Spuren – Wie war das so in der DDR?" (In Fritzi's Footsteps – What Was Life Like in East Germany?) has won an International Emmy Award.

The series, produced by the German regional public broadcaster MDR, took home the prize in the Kids: Factual & Entertainment category at Monday night's ceremony in New York, beating competitors from Brazil, the United Kingdom and South Africa.

"Auf Fritzis Spuren" describes the period when Germany was divided, shortly before reunification, for a young audience in six partly animated episodes. 

In his acceptance speech, writer and producer Ralf Kukula said he still remembered the final days of East Germany. "Thirty-six years later, I'm standing here and I'm thinking it is absolutely crazy," he said.

"We wanted to show what it was like when we Germans were the happiest nation in the world. I think it's very important that we are able to remember that."

The second nominated German production left the ceremony empty-handed. The thriller series "Herrhausen – Der Herr des Geldes" (Herrhausen – The Master of Money), which dramatizes the 1989 assassination of Deutsche Bank chairman Alfred Herrhausen, lost out to the British production "Lost Boys & Fairies" in the Television Film/Miniseries category.

The top drama series award went to "Rivals," which explores the lives of conservative aristocrats in 1980s Britain.

The International Emmy for the best comedy series went to the British dramedy "Ludwig."

"Hell Jumper," a documentary about a British volunteer killed in the war in Ukraine, was named best documentary.

Other winners included Australia's "Bluey" which won best children's animated series, a British production about daily life in Gaza as best current affairs programme and a Netflix documentary on the kiss scandal involving Spanish football official Luis Rubiales and World Cup winner Jennifer Hermoso.

The International Emmys are the global offshoot of the main Emmy Awards. For the 53rd edition, which focuses on productions from outside the United States, entries from 26 countries were nominated across 16 categories.