The countdown has begun: On Saturday, 18th September, the world of television will come together in Lucerne at the Rose d’Or Festival, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The festival’s anniversary year is not only a time for celebration but also marks a new beginning – the beginning of a new decade, which will see the festival evolve into a public event, too. Some events will already be open to the public this year.
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? for a good cause
First of these events, the hit show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? with Chris Tarrant, host of the original British production, will be presented on Sunday, 19th September at the Hotel Schweizerhof In Lucerne. A studio will be set up according to the show’s original set specifications in the hotel’s Zeugheer Saal. From the music to the lighting, everything will be a close replica of a television recording. International television celebrities will play two planned rounds. In each round the jackpot will be worth 75,000 Swiss Francs, donated by a benefactor. All prize money will go to the MyHandicap foundation, which supports people with disabilities.
Frodo’s journey accompanied by live music
A concert by the 21st Century Symphony Orchestra, which became famous for its live performances of the soundtrack to “Lord of the Rings”, will follow on Monday 20th September. In October, the orchestra, directed by conductor Ludwig Wicki, will perform at the legendary Radio City Hall in New York City. Before that, however, the ensemble will perform the original music composed by Howard Shore for the movie “The Two Towers”, the second part of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, at the Culture and Convention Centre Lucerne (KKL). The film will be shown on a large screen.
Laughing until it hurts
Michel Gammenthaler, Rob Spence, Carrington & Brown and Henning Wehn will perform live at the Comedy Night held on Tuesday, 21st September at the Hotel Schweizerhof in Lucerne. With these four high profile acts and star comedian Thomas Hermanns as host, Comedy Night at the Rose d’Or Festival promises to be an unforgettable night that will make you laugh until you cry.
And the Rose d’Or goes to …
Finally, the red carpet will be rolled out on Wednesday, 22nd September in Lucerne. The world of television will come together at the Culture and Convention Centre Lucerne (KKL) to attend the presentation of the prestigious Rose d’Or Awards. During the Gala Awards Ceremony, the secret of the winners of the Rose d’Or awards 2010 will be revealed. Well-known stars and personalities such as Dick de Rijk, Tim Crescenti, Gaby Roslin, Carol Vorderman, David Briggs, DJ Bobo, Sandra Studer, Ursus & Nadeschkin and Gerhard Schröder will present the awards. The presentation of the Golden Roses will be integrated into a captivating show that celebrates 50 years of entertainment television – a joyful journey through five decades of entertainment, featuring clips and guests from the TV programmes that have transformed the world of television since the 60’s.
An attractive programme for the professionals and the public
Rewarding and supporting originality, quality and creativity in television entertainment is still the essence of the Rose d’Or after all these years. The festival is also about international networking, exchanging ideas, discovery and cooperation across all borders. Over the years, neither the expansion of the commercial television business nor developments in technology have shaken these twin pillars of the Rose d’Or.
In fact, the Rose d’Or has actually become more important throughout the digital revolution, which has brought about a bewildering choice of entertainment on all kinds of screens. That is because this unique global competition helps to define content and set the standard for quality. The Golden Rose is still the gold standard for quality on-screen entertainment. In the future, the festival management plans to integrate digital content to an even greater degree. The festival also aims to raise the awareness and involvement of the Swiss public, especially in Lucerne, starting with next year’s festival. Over the years to come, the Rose d’Or will offer an attractive and inspiring programme – for television professionals and for the public.
Rose d’Or’s new co-management structure
From October 1st, Markus Helbling (38) will come in to support the Rose d’Or team as Managing Director. Alongside the traditional management roles of finance and marketing, Helbling will also head up sponsorship, with the aim of developing the Rose d’Or Festival and strengthening the event division. Previously Helbling was project manager for Euro 2008 at Ringier and acting editor-in-chief of Blick am Abend. Alongside his Rose d’Or responsibilities, he will also continue to run business development for Ringier Entertainment.
Rose d’Or Festival Director Rolf Probala (64) will continue his responsibilities for the artistic side of the Rose d’Or. Above all he will be concentrating on the development of content, especially the international competition, juries and the Rose d’Or Forum, the platform for international creative exchange, education and networking. Marco Castellaneta, President of the Rose d’Or, comments: “With this division of responsibilities, we will have the traditional separation of management and creative roles at the Rose d’Or, as is customary at most international festivals.”