Dutch comedienne and actress Bianca Krijgsman was awarded an International Emmy Award in New York on Monday evening.

The 46-year-old won in the best actress category for her role in De nieuwe wereld (The new world), a television film from 2013 about the life of asylum seekers in the Netherlands.

According to the NRC, Krijgsman had not prepared a speech because she was convinced she would not win and was genuinely surprised to hear her name announced. ‘I do not understand,’ she said. ‘I was not going to win,’ the NRC quotes her as saying.

Her fellow nominees included English actress Olivia Colman for her role in the thriller Broadchurch.