2019 New York Festivals TV&Films Awards was held in Las Vegas, USA on April 9th. The Phoenix TV program “Cold and Warm Life: 10 Days Farewell” won the “Documentary Human Concerns Gold Award”.
Zheng Yitong, the director of “Cold and Warm Life”, attended the festival made a speech when he received the prize: “It is very unexpected to get the prize. This is far more than I expected. I started shooting this film to record how the family said goodbye to their seven years old son, Li Zhiyuan, and tried to reduce his pain, who suffered cell tumor. When I came into contact with this family, the doctor predicted that Zhiyuan was only ten days away. I was originally a volunteer of the Dairy House in the children’s dying ward and was not prepared. Going to filming and recording, because it is painful to establish a link and watch this link disappear, it is painful to record death. Later, Zhiyuan’s parents invited me to record their group and also left some images for Zhiyuan’s last days as commemoration. At the end of the filming, I realized at the time of editing that this film has another meaning, that is, to show people how to be strong and brave and to preserve dignity in the face of the inevitable result of death. This is where human nature is. It is also the place of care. Almost everyone is thinking about the meaning of life, but how to make life better to leave is still a concept that has not been fully popularized, at least in China. But the truth is death is happening every day.” In addition, he also expressed his gratitude to Phoenix TV for his “cool and warm life” program that provided him this opportunity to make such an attempt. Thanks to the help of the producers Zhu Weimin and Yan Tianyi, they insisted on completing the filming with the encouragement of parents and friends. At the end of the sharing, he also said: “The most grateful is Zhiyuan and his parents Li Fei and Li Huijie. Thanks for their trust, acceptance, help and support. I hope that everything in heaven will be good.”
The 15-year-old “Cold and Warm Life”, which has been the most humanistic and thoughtful weekly broadcast documentary program since the establishment of Phoenix Satellite TV, has always been regarded as an important “label” for Phoenix TV and a “pressing stone” that highlights the style. Through the program to pay attention to the fate of ordinary people, to pass on different temperatures between people, let the audience feel the heat of life. Whether in choosing the sense of weight of a character or tapping the depth and complexity of a character, we hoped that the audience will understand the era, the history through different and each tipical individuals. as well as understand that human nature is the soul of warmth. Therefore, the team’s work has a huge influence on Chinese people all over the world, and is recognized by the audience, the media and peers. “Cold and Warm Life” program twice won the Silver Hugo Award for the TV documentary at the Chicago International Film Festival with its master pieces “The Man Who Picks the Mountain” and “The Last 79 Hours of Chen Jian”. In addition, “Cold and Warm Life” has also been nominated for the Best International Film Award for Documentary, the Best Documentary Nomination for Monte Carlo International TV Festival, the nomination for the British Broadcasting Association Award AIB Award for the documentary project, and the best humanities program for the 2009 China TV Show. The Grand Prize, the China Documentary Academy Award, the China TV Documentary Top Ten Top Ten Awards and many other honors.
The annual New York International Film and Television Festival Awards Ceremony is regarded as one of the most international competitions in the world of film and television. Every year, it attracts commercials, radio programs, TV programs and movies from all over the world. Since 1990, it has established a special UN award with the United Nations Department of Public Information. Phoenix TV programs and promotional videos have a reputation in the Chinese-language media. This year, it has won four awards at the International Film and Television Festival in New York. The organizers said that the greatest significance of the New York International Film and Television Festival is to provide a platform for different cultures to interact with each other.