Morgan Freeman, Crystal Nymphe for the Monte Carlo TV Festival

Laurent Puons, Deputy Vice-President and Cécile Menoni, Executive Director, announced today at the Brach Paris hotel, the program for the 63rd edition of the Monte-Carlo Television Festival which will take place from June 14 to 18, 2024. Grimaldi Forum of Monaco.

A WORLD PREMIERE OPENING

The opening of the Festival will be marked by the world premiere screening of The Gray House, a mini-series produced by Republic Pictures in collaboration with Territory Pictures, Revelations Entertainment and Big Dreams Entertainment.

The first episode will be broadcast following the Opening Ceremony which will be held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on Friday June 14 at 7:00 p.m. in the presence of Morgan Freeman (Les Évadés, Million Dollar Baby, Invictus...), Leslie Greif ( Hatfields & McCoys) and Lori McCreary (Madam Secretary), executive producers, as well as actors Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds, The West Wing), Daisy Head (Harlots), Amethyst Davis (Kindred) and Ben Vereen (Roots).

Based on the novel of the same name by Mariam Petrosyan, The Gray House tells the true story of these little-known women who turned the American Civil War in favor of the North. A socialite from the state of Virginia, his mother, a former slave and one of the city's most famous courtesans operate in the shadow of Confederate power. They transform their Underground Railroad into an effective and far more dangerous clandestine spy network, risking their lives and liberty to promote victory and save American democracy.
Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman, Leslie Greif and Lori McCreary are executive producers. Roland Joffé is executive director of the series while writing the scripts and screenplays were entrusted to Darrell Fetty, Leslie Greif and John Sayles.
SIMONE ASHLEY WINNER OF THE GOLDEN NYMPH FOR THE BEST INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY

After Théo Christine in 2022 and Julia de Nunez last year, British actress Simone Ashley will receive the Golden Nymph for Best International Newcomer, an award which honors the exceptional talent of an emerging and promising actor, and which is distinguished by international recognition of his work.

THE CRYSTAL NYMPH AWARDED TO MORGAN FREEMAN

At the end of the Opening Ceremony, HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco will also present actor and producer Morgan Freeman with the prestigious Crystal Nymph which rewards the exceptional television career of a world-renowned actor.

GOLDEN NYMPH CEREMONY AND OFFICIAL SELECTION

The Closing Ceremony will be held at the Grimaldi Forum on Tuesday June 18 and will be presented by Laury Thilleman, former Miss France and now TV presenter in the company of French singer and actor, Vincent Niclo. A large number of talented actors and important professionals from the sector and members of the fiction and documentary & current affairs juries will be present.

The 2024 Official Selection of the Golden Nymphs Competition, which rewards the best in international television production, was also announced. A remarkable selection which includes 18 programs from 12 countries distributed in the Fiction Category, and the Documentary & News Category, including four world premieres, seven international premieres, one European premiere and four new French premieres.
For the 3rd consecutive year, the Audience Award, in partnership with BetaSeries, will be awarded during the Golden Nymphs Ceremony.

A GREAT SCREENPLAY AND HONORED PRODUCER

The Nymph of Honor, the Festival's highest distinction, awarded to a renowned professional for his or her extraordinary contribution to the entertainment industry, will be presented to the famous French actor and director Olivier Marchal (36 quai des Orfèvres, Ne le dis à person, Braquo, Bronx...) during the Closing Ceremony on Tuesday June 18.BUSINESS HAPPYThe Business Content program has been announced in detail. This year, the Monte-Carlo Festival once again offers professionals a unique series of conferences bringing together experts from different fields in the global audiovisual production sector to present and exchange solutions responding to the difficulties facing current international programming.

At the heart of the discussions from June 15 to 17: The repercussions of the 2023 strikes: shortages in the audiovisual industry; When dramatic fiction mirrors our society; Market "platformization": segmentation challenges and opportunities; How AI tools can help with creation and distribution? New narratives for documentaries: The boundary between reality and fiction; The added value of marketing in the television sector; The challenge for producers: new responsibilities to assume or new developments in international co-productions. 

PUBLIC EVENTS

This year again, the Festival will host a series of public events aimed at the many fans present.Each program nominated in the Fiction Category and the winner of the Prince Rainier III Special Prize will be broadcast during public screenings at the Grimaldi Forum.
Out-of-competition screenings are also planned for Escort Boys, and exclusively for the daily prime on M6, En Famille.A selfie session with the talents of Un Si Grand Soleil, signing sessions with the casts of Wolf Entertainment (Chicago Med, Law & Order, FBI), or even conferences intended for the public, the "Behind The Scenes", which will reveal filming secrets in the presence of the stars of the soap operas The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful.

The long-awaited event marking the 50th anniversary of the Little House on the Prairie series will be the subject of a unique meeting with fans and a Special Anniversary snack.NCIS, which will also celebrate its 1000th episode, will see part of its cast cross the Atlantic to participate in a Behind The Scenes on Saturday June 15.

Finally, the Festival's official makeup partner, SLA Paris, will once again organize a fabulous makeup event for the public.Cécile Menoni concludes the press conference: "The Monte-Carlo Television Festival, a pioneer in Europe, stands out by merging the major genres of fiction, documentary and information. Thanks to the 12 countries represented through the 18 programs selected for the Golden Nymphs competition, the Festival once again presents itself as an event with an international focus, offering an edition that is still very eclectic and rich in previews. »

Laurent Puons adds: "The Monte-Carlo Television Festival once again proves its inescapable side this year by honoring two great professionals, Morgan Freeman and Olivier Marchal. It is in the Principality that the talents of international TV production converge. »