A celebration of public service TV

摘要

The British television community knows all about the Prix Italia, that grand but somewhat faded luxury liner, and the Golden Rose of Montreux, the Swiss gem that has returned to health on the back of the renaissance in small screen entertainment ― but Input? What exactly is Input? By rights, this annual pilgrimage to watch what is claimed to be the pick of the world's public service channels should no longer exist in the hard-boiled, commercially driven world of 21st century media. Surely few of us have the time to travel thousands of miles to talk TV unless there is a deal to be negotiated at the end of the small talk ― or at least the prospect of a gong to be carted home along with the duty frees. But against the odds, Input, which began as a small rebellion against the Prix Italia in Milan back in 1978, has survived and in its 26th year continues to thrive. Last month, around 700 delegates representing 33 countries gathered for Input 2003 in Aarhus, Denmark's second city, an eco-friendly college town known, according to its mayor, a twenty-something telegenic woman, as "the city of smiles". Input revolves around four and a half days of solid screenings (just short of 90 films were shown) and follow-up talks in which delegates can question the programme's director.