#MyNigeria – Sandra Aguebor: Lady Mechanic wins Silver at New York Festivals

Al Jazeera Media Network is celebrating winning a total of five Gold World Medals, 14 Silver World Medals and seven Bronze Medals at the prestigious New York Film Festivals awards last month.

Al Jazeera English won Broadcaster of the Year, after the channel took home three Gold, 12 Silver, five Bronze and 10 finalist certificates.

Three of Al Jazeera English’s winning films were set in Africa, with Witness – Kisulu: The Climate Diaries; My Nigeria – Sandra Aguebor: Lady Mechanic; and Senegal: The Continuous Cycle of FGM all picking up  Silver World Medals.

The Stream, co-hosted by former Nigerian media personality of the year Femi Oke, also won a Silver World Medal, while Women Make Change – Going Places: Girls’ Education in Ghana earned a Finalist Certificate.

“Al Jazeera English is delighted be named Broadcaster of the Year at the New York Festivals and to win a batch of Gold, Silver and Bronze awards for our content,” says Giles Trendle, the acting managing director of Al Jazeera English. “It’s a great honour to have our bold and unique journalism recognised on the global stage by our peers. In a world seemingly beset by rising bigotry and extremism, Al Jazeera English continues its mission in providing a wider scope of information, insight and understanding. These awards are a testament to the quality of our journalism and the value of our goal to tell important stories from around the world. Behind every award is a multi-talented and multi-cultural team of dedicated individuals whose creativity and commitment come together in the shared aim of listening to and telling people’s stories.”

This year’s tally of 27 World Medals from the New York Festivals awards is significantly higher than the 19 the network won in 2016. 

The New York Festivals’ powerhouse Grand Jury of prominent international broadcast and film industry executives represented 34 countries on six continents.

Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit was also recognized in the US at the Headliner Awards. Stealing Paradise, revealing corruption in the Maldives, won first place in the Investigative report category, while The Poacher’s Pipeline, on the illegal trade in rhino horn, won second place in the documentary section.