MEDIA giant GMA Network is set to represent the Philippines at the 2023 New York Festivals TV & Film (NYF) Awards with nine entries making it to the short-listed candidates, again earning the most number of nominees for the country.
Spanning three decades of blazing the trail in producing compelling stories, GMA Public Affairs leads the network’s contingent with eight entries, while GMA Entertainment cements its world-class programming with the primetime masterpiece Maria Clara at Ibarra.
The 2022 NYF Gold World Medal awardee The Atom Araullo Specials is gunning for another win this year with two entries. “Mata sa Dilim [Eye in the Dark],” Atom Araullo’s documentary on the online sexual exploitation of children, was shortlisted under Documentary: Social Issues. “Ang Nawawala [The Missing],” which chronicles missing persons and their loved ones’ heartbreaking search, is also nominated under the Documentary: Human Concerns category.
Also earning double nominations is 2022 NYF Bronze winner Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho (KMJS), hosted by multiawarded GMA Public Affairs host Jessica Soho. KMJS is short-listed for “Onse [Eleven]” and “Sugat ng Pangungulila [Wounds of Woes]” under the Documentary: Human Concerns and Documentary: Health/Medical Information categories, respectively. “Onse” tells the story of a teenager who thought her growing stomach was a tumor but she turned out to be pregnant, while “Sugat ng Pangungulila” is about a 14-year-old boy suffering from wounds all over his body that was discovered to be lamellar ichthyosis.
Nine-time World Medalist Reporter’s Notebook, hosted by Maki Pulido and Jun Veneracion, returns to the NYF stage with its entry “Baha to School [Our School is Sinking]” nominated under the Documentary: Community Portraits category. The said episode narrates the story of students who had to trek through floods to go to school in the Philippines.
Long-running public affairs program I-Witness earns another short-list nod this year with Atom’s documentary “Ang Langaw na Hindi Binubugaw [Black Soldier Fly].” The story about the black soldier flies and their benefits is nominated under the Documentary: Science & Technology category.
Environment and wildlife show Born to be Wild is nominated for “Primate Planet” under the Documentary: Environment & Ecology category. In the special, Doc Ferds Recio and Doc Nielsen Donato enable viewers to learn more about the life of primates in Banton, Romblon and in New Israel Makilala, North Cotabato.
Completing the list of GMA Public Affairs entries is “Runaway Child Brides: Ang Kuwento ng mga Tumakas sa Buya [Stories of Escape from the Manobos’ Buya],” which made it to the Documentary: Cultural Issues shortlist. The documentary by Lilian Tiburcio, produced by GMA Public Affairs and GMA Digital Lab’s online newscast Stand for Truth, tackles arranged marriages or a tradition called “buya” among Manobo tribe.
After making waves on-air and online, GMA’s groundbreaking historical fantasy series Maria Clara at Ibarra looks to raise the Philippine flag globally as it earned a short-list nomination under the Entertainment Program: Drama category. The highly successful series was headlined by 2016 Fantasporto International Best Actress Barbie Forteza as Klay, Julie Anne San Jose as Maria Clara, and Dennis Trillo as Ibarra.
At the 2022 New York Festivals, GMA was the sole Philippine awardee and gave the country four World Medals.
