Press release from 1440
The Australian sci-fi western 'Dig Deep Creek' has won the 2011 MIPJunior Kids Jury 11-14 year old category.
The trailer for 'Dig Deep Creek' was voted by the Kids Jury as the show they would most like to see on television.
Eleven year old Oscar said he chose 'Dig Deep Creek' because it left him "full of anticipation from the first second to the last second."
The verdict was announced in Cannes on Saturday night (5am Sunday ADST).
Speaking from Cannes, 1440 Productions' Managing Director Kirsty Fuller said the win was "a big endorsement of the show's originality, attitude and universal appeal."
The MIPJunion Kids Jury competition for new, never-aired shows attracted 120 entries from across the globe. 1440 Productions was the only Australian finalist, with two shows in competition – 'Dig Deep Creek' and the uplifting coming of age documentary 'Heart and Soul'.
On Sunday representatives from the Kids Jury gave their feedback to an open debriefing session called the Consumer Lab.
Consumer Lab panellist Stacey Matthias, co-CEO of Insight Research Group USA, said 'Dig Deep Creek''s ensemble cast of friends was one of many things that led to it being the winner. "The girls (of the Kids Jury) liked the dynamic between the friends-slash-enemies … and on top of that was the suspense, anticipation and challenge which the boys liked. Boys and girls both liked the show but when they described it in their own words, they described it very differently. You wouldn't necessarily know it was the same show."
Panellist and KidScreen Magazine editor Lana Castleman described the 11-14 age category as the toughest age to create for. "This age group watches adult tv … like 'CSI' and 'House' as well as children's shows." She added that 'Dig Deep Creek' wasn't just appealing to the lower end of the age group and that "teenagers would probably watch it as well."
'Heart and Soul' is a feel good documentary about an all female high school soul band that walk the line between adult and child in the music industry. The show had a strong resonance with the Kids Jury with its target group, 11-14 year old girls.
"The girls were interested in 'Heart and Soul' for the friendship dynamics and the music," Ms Castleman said.
Ms Matthias said 11-14 year olds were looking for shows that can help them transition into the teen world, provide role models and explore older behavious. They wanted to break the rules by viewing content much edgier from what they watched a year or two previously.
"They are able to think quite abstractly and delay gratification, so they can wait through multiple episodes for a conclusion."