Cheers in New York: “The Empress” wins International Emmy

The German historical drama “The Empress” won the International Emmy for best drama series. The Netflix series about Austria’s Empress Elisabeth prevailed on Monday evening (local time) in New York against productions from South Korea, Argentina and Great Britain. After the victory, the team around author Katharina Eyssen and producer Jochen Laube cheered exuberantly for minutes in front of the worldwide press.

Author Eyssen: “The depth of the characters convinced people”

“It’s surreal,” Eyssen told the German Press Agency. She couldn’t believe the success. She believes that the emotions and dynamics of the family history of “The Empress” fascinated the audience and jury. “The depth of the characters convinced people,” Eyssen said of the feedback on the series.

“This story is not about a princess who marries a king. It is about a rebellious young woman,” Eyssen said in her acceptance speech on stage.

Over 100 million people have seen “The Empress.”

“We are incredibly honored,” said producer Jochen Laube after the award. The entire team implemented the material from the heart and is now happy about its great success, especially in view of the “smart, friendly and extremely eloquent competition.”

According to Laube, more than 100 million people worldwide have watched at least parts of the series on the streaming provider Netflix.

Other German nominations come away empty-handed

The three other German nominees, however, came away empty-handed. “Nazi Hunters – Journey into Darkness” had to admit defeat to the documentary “Mariupol: The People’s Story” about the fate of war victims in Ukraine. “Classical Music under the Swastika – The Maestro and the Cellist of Auschwitz” lost out as the best cultural program to a Canadian documentary about actress and singer Buffy Sainte-Marie. “Meet… Anne Frank” could not prevail as the best non-fiction program for children against the nature series “Built to Survive”.

The International Emmys are the global offshoot and little sister of the main Emmy ceremony on January 15th, which is considered the most important TV and streaming award worldwide.

With information from dpa