The television miniseries about the life of iconic Australian performer Peter Allen has already won best miniseries, best director and a best actor award for its star Joel Jackson at the annual AACTA Awards. But this week the critically acclaimed Seven Network drama has a shot at one of the world's most prestigious prizes for television, at the 56th annual Monte Carlo Television Festival. The miniseries, Not The Boy Next Door, has been nominated in the outstanding long fiction program category, and its star, Joel Jackson, has been nominated in the outstanding actor category at the festival's Golden Nymph Awards. The festival was officially opened overnight at Monte Carlo's Grimaldi Forum, by their Serene Highnesses, Prince Albert II of Monaco and his wife, Princess Charlene. The four-day festival includes several red carpet events, including an invitation only function at Prince Albert and Princess Charlene's home, the Palais Princier de Monaco, which overlooks the principality's Port Hercules. The winners of the festival's awards - the Golden Nymphs - will be announced at another gala dinner, later this week. But the winner of the festival's major award, the Crystal Nymph, which is a lifetime achievement award, was honoured at the opening ceremony. This year's recipient was the American actress Marg Helgenberger, whose body of work includes the television series China Beach and CSI, and the critically acclaimed film Erin Brockovich. The festival, which is held annually in Monaco, this year draws a diverse guest list ranging from actors, including Transparent star Jeffrey Tambor, and former Beverly Hills 90210 star Jason Priestley, and television industry leaders, including Downton Abbey producer Gareth Neame and legendary US producer Dick Wolf. Among the Australian attendees this year are actor Sullivan Stapleton, who stars in the US drama Blindspot, and Shine Endemol CEO Mark Fennessy. Peter Allen: Not The Boy Next Door actor Joel Jackson is also attending the festival. New Zealand-born actor Martin Henderson, who stars in the US drama Grey's Anatomy, is also a guest at the festival. Other guests include actors Danny Glover, Jane Seymour and Matthew Modine, Criminal Minds star Thomas Gibson, DC Legends star Victor Garber, The Odd Couple's Thomas Lennon, The Odd Couple and Gotham star Sean Pertwee. The festival's CEO Laurent Puons said the event would "present a truly global celebration of the best in programming and the talent that brings it to our screens." Mr Puons described the nominated programs - including the limited series Wolf Hall, the US drama Better Call Saul and Code Black, the UK drama Poldark and the New Zealand-produced drama Ash Vs Evil Dead - as "an exceptional and diverse line-up of international content". The festival was founded by Monaco's former Prince Rainier III, in 1961, who hoped it would "encourage a new art form, in the service of peace and understanding."
