Kenneth Branagh, Anna Friel Win International Emmys

Kenneth Branagh and Anna Friel won International Emmy Awards Monday night (Nov. 20) at a gala event in New York. The Directorate Award and 11 Emmy statues were presented by the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences at the event. Norwegian detective series Mammon II won for best drama series.

Discovery Communications CEO David Zaslav presented the International Emmy Directorate Award to Emilio Azcárraga Jean, chairman, president and CEO of Grupo Televisa.

Branagh accepted the Emmy for Best Performance by an Actor for his role as detective Kurt Wallander in Wallander. Friel accepted the Emmy for Best Performance by an Actress for her role as Detective Sergeant Marcella Backland in Marcella.

The 11 winning International Emmy programs and performances span eight countries: Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Norway, Turkey, The UK and the U.S. They are: Hip-Hop Evolution (Arts Programming), Kenneth Branagh (Best Performance by an Actor), Anna Friel (Best Performance by an Actress), Alan Partridge’s Scissored Isle (Comedy), EXODUS: Our Journey to Europe (Documentary), Mammon II (Drama Series), Sr. Ávila (Non-English Language US Primetime Program), Sorry Voor Alles (Non-Scripted Entertainment), The Braun Family (Short-Form Series); Kara Sevda (Telenovela) and Don’t Leave Me (TV Movie/Mini-Series). Click here for the complete winners list.

“Television is a universal art form that transcends cultures, languages and borders- as demonstratedby tonight’s winners,” International Academy President & CEO Bruce L. Paisner said in a release. “In these contentious times, when television programming is constantly under attack, the Academy is proud to recognize excellence from around the world.”