'Brigada' wins grand prize awards in US Int'l Film & Video Festival

GMA News TV news magazine program “Brigada” takes home two trophies at the US International Film & Video Festival, the award-giving body announced in June.

The program’s feature “Gintong Krudo” won the One World Award, one of the grand prize awards given at the US International Film & Video Festival. The feature also won the Gold Camera Award, a recognition given to honor a work that fosters international understanding.

This is the first time the prestigious One World Award is given to a Philippine TV network.

“This is such a big honor.  And I am glad that the program has paved the way for our new breed of reporters and producers to shine through their excellent storytelling,” said award-winning journalist and “Brigada” host Jessica Soho.
 

“Gintong Krudo,” a report by Micaela Papa, tells the story of three children in Navotas who collect spilled crude oil for a living.

“This has been one of the most compelling faces of poverty that the staff has witnessed,” says “Brigada” executive producer Harvey Bayona. “This has inspired the team to capture the images in its rawest and truest form, and telling the story without the usual voice-overs that ‘Brigada’ traditionally does.”

“Gintong Krudo” proved memorable not only to the award-giving body but even to the production team that worked on it. For segment producer Bryan Brazil, the story left a lifetime mark - literally.
 

“I fell from the boat and got bruises on my knee and foot. It left a small scar on my left knee,” he shares. “But I don’t have the right to complain because I know the kids experienced worse than what I've been through.”

"Gintong Krudo" also won a Silver World Medal in the 2014 New York Festivals and was a finalist in the 2013 Japan Prize. — Richelle Figueroa/CM, GMA News