Monte-Carlo – The 55th Monte-Carlo Television Festival was officially opened at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco this evening by H.S.H. Princess Charlene of Monaco on behalf of the Festival’s Honorary President, S.A.S. Prince Albert II. Presidents and members of the 2015 Golden Nymph juries were introduced on stage followed by the presentation by Princess Charlene of the highly coveted Crystal Nymph, which was awarded to leading actress Patricia Arquette in recognition of her stellar body of work.
Arquette, who is the reigning Academy Award winner for Supporting Actress and Golden Globe winner for Actress in a Supporting Role for Boyhood, stars in the CBS drama series CSI: Cyber, the latest instalment of the hugely successful CSI franchise.
Golden Nymph Jury Presidents introduced this year include leading human rights advocate and campaigner Bianca Jagger, renowned actor Eric Close, television legend Patrick Duffy and award-winning film and television actor Ron Perlman.
The 55th Opening Ceremony was followed by the Special Screening of the first episode of the breakthrough hit drama of 2015 Empire. Leading stars from the drama, Academy Award and Emmy® Award nominee Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Person of Interest) and Academy Award® nominee Terrence Howard (Crash, Hustle & Flow) as well as executive producer and co-creator Danny Strong (Lee Daniels’ The Butler, Game Change), joined a host of acting and production talent from around the world on the Red Carpet at the start of the five day Festival.
Laurent Puons, CEO, said, “We are delighted to welcome so many luminaries from the small screen to Monaco tonight, the upcoming five days will see a wealth of leading acting and production talent at the Grimaldi Forum, alongside industry experts participating in the inaugural Content & Multiscreen Experience. Over the past 55 years we have celebrated the very best in programming content across a diverse field of genres, and this evening’s Opening Ceremony has been a fantastic launch to what promises to be a landmark anniversary edition.”
The Monte-Carlo Television Festival attracts a wide range of acting, production and writing talent from around the world who travel to Monte-Carlo for the five-day celebration of programming including many nominated for the Golden Nymph Awards which are presented later this week at the close of the Festival.
