Produced in 2022, the film was nominated for Outstanding Investigative Documentary at the 44th News and Documentary Emmy Awards.
Delikado, a Filipino-made documentary focusing on environmental activists in Palawan, received an Emmy nomination on July 28, 2023.
The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) holds the News and Documentary Emmys every year. The awards honor professionals in broadcasting journalism and documentary filmmaking professions.
“They pay tribute to the journalists who bring us up-to-the-minute reporting on the critical stories of our time, and the documentary storytellers who explore important social, cultural, and political issues in great depth. NATAS is proud to celebrate the work of this year’s nominees,” said Adam Sharp, president and CEO of NATAS.
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Delikado’s producer, journalist Kara Alikpala, expressed her excitement on Facebook, saying she was “stunned” by the nomination.
“What a smashing validation of the legendary, inspirational land defenders of Palawan,” wrote the film’s official Facebook page.
The film
Journalist Karl Malakunas directed the environmental thriller film and follows three ecological activists.
Lawyer and Palawan NGO Network Inc. (PNNI) executive director Robert “Bobby” Chan, then-El Nido mayor Nieves Rosento, and land defender Efren “Tata” Balladares fight to preserve Palawan’s natural resources from big developers, politicians, and illegal loggers.
Palawan is dubbed as the Philippines’ “last ecological frontier.” Both on land and in water, the province is home to rich natural resources and highly diverse flora and fauna.
Filming for Delikado began in early 2017 and ended late 2019. In April 2022, the film debuted at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto. Returning to the Philippines, it premiered as the closing event of the Cinemalaya Film Festival in August 2022.
The film has already received recognition from various film festivals and award ceremonies all over the world.
Some of its achievements include the Sustainable Future Award at Sydney Film Festival 2022, Best Documentary at Newburyport Documentary Film Festival 2022, as well as both Best Documentary and Best Cinematography in the Social Impact Media Awards 2023. Malakunas also won the 2022 Walkley Documentary Award for his work on the film at Australia’s most prestigious journalism awards.
Along with Alikpala and Malakunas, Emmy-nominated producer Marty Syjuco, Give Up Tomorrow director Michael Collins, and award-winning cinematographer Tom Bannigan joined the film’s team.
The 44th News and Documentary Emmy Awards will take place on September 28, 2023, at the Palladium Times Square in New York City.
Banner image via Facebook @DelikadoFilm.
