The Monte-Carlo Television Festival (in French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 Festival de Télévision de Monte-Carlo) was created in 16-20 January 1961 by Prince Rainier III of Monaco

Monaco

Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...

, who wished to “encourage a new art form, in the service of peace and understanding between men”.

In 2002, the festival was reorganized to include additional categories to recognize new trends in the television industry.

The top prize in the festival is a statuette, a gold copy of the "Salmacis

Salmacis

In Greek mythology, Salmacis was an atypical naiad who rejected the ways of the virginal Greek goddess Artemis in favour of vanity and idleness. Her attempted rape of Hermaphroditus places her as the only nymph rapist in the Greek mythological canon ."There dwelt a Nymph, not up for hunting or...

" Nymph

Nymph

A nymph in Greek mythology is a female minor nature deity typically associated with a particular location or landform. Different from gods, nymphs are generally regarded as divine spirits who animate nature, and are usually depicted as beautiful, young nubile maidens who love to dance and sing;...

 by the Monegasque

Monégasque language

Monégasque is a dialect of the modern Ligurian language, spoken in Monaco.- Language family :Forming a part of the Western Romance dialect continuum, Monégasque shares many features with the variety of Ligurian spoken in Genoa, but differs from its neighboring dialects Intemelio and Mentonasc. It...

 sculptor, François Joseph Bosio

François Joseph Bosio

Baron François Joseph Bosio was a French sculptor who achieved distinction in the first quarter of the nineteenth century with his work for Napoleon and for the restored French monarchy.-Biography:...

, commonly known as a Golden Nymph.

In 2009, the festival took a new direction as part of the Principality's over-arching focus on becoming a bigger player in serious international affairs, by opening the festival with the political documentary, Back Door Channels: The Price of Peace

Back Door Channels: The Price of Peace

Back Door Channels: The Price of Peace, directed by Harry Hunkele,and produced by Arick Wierson, Donald Tanselle, and Matthew Tollin, is an American documentary film about the interplay between the official government channels and the men who acted largely behind the scenes during the course of...

, which aimed to put the tiny nation-state front and centre in the evolving high-profile discussion about the issue of the Palestinians and the occupied Israeli territories.

External links

• IMDb Festival Page – For Some Historical Awards Data