Zinc Media Group (LON:ZIN) Series Director Tim Stirzaker joins DirectorsTalk Interviews to discuss winning the coveted duPont Award in New York for the TV Series ‘Putin vs the West’.
In this insightful interview, Tim Stirzaker, the series director of ‘Putin vs the West’, discusses the acclaimed series produced by Zinc Media Group for BBC Two, Arte, and other European broadcasters, and available on BBC Select in the United States. Stirzaker shares how the series, which won the prestigious DuPont Award, explores the decade leading up to the invasion of Ukraine, focusing on the West’s challenges in dealing with Vladimir Putin. Initially conceived as an examination of the West’s interactions with Putin, the series evolved to cover the events leading to the invasion, offering a detailed narrative through interviews with key figures like David Cameron, Francois Hollande, Jens Stoltenberg, and Volodymyr Zelensky. Tim Shares how the series aimed to humanise political stories by sharing personal insights from leaders involved in these crucial moments. Tim also highlightsthe series’ recognition for its excellence in broadcast journalism by the DuPont Columbia awards and teases the direction of the second season, which continues the story into the first year of the invasion, expanding its scope to include global repercussions. His narrative underscores the importance of presenting political events as human stories, aiming to engage and inform viewers on a deeper level.
