Philippines documentary gets Emmy nom

MANILA, Philippines — Award-winning environmental documentary Delikado has received an Emmy nomination.

The film, which draws focus on environmental crusaders who risk their lives protecting the rainforests of Palawan, is nominated in the Outstanding Investigative Documentary category of the 44th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards.

The 96-minute enviro-thriller documentary directed by journalist Karl Malakunas (photo) is eligible for an Emmy as it has screened in the US on PBS’s POV.

The film takes viewers to one of the Philippines’ top tourist destinations—Palawan. It follows lawyer and Palawan NGO Network Inc. (PNNI) executive director Robert “Bobby” Chan, then-El Nido mayor Nieves Rosento and land defender Efren “Tata” Balladares. The three fight to preserve Palawan’s natural resources from big developers, politicians, illegal loggers and others who threaten the Philippines’ “last ecological frontier.”

Delikado is a collaboration of award-winning filmmakers, among them two-time Emmy-nominated filmmaker Marty Syjuco (producer),  Give Up Tomorrow director Michael Collins (producer, editor and writer), broadcast journalist and Storytellers International Inc. co-founder Kara Magsano-Alikpala (producer), and award-winning cinematographer Tom Bannigan ACS (director of photography).