GMA bags 7 major awards in US Int'l Film and Video Festival

MANILA, Philippines - GMA Network garnered seven major awards in the prestigious US International Film and Video Festival (USIFVF) during the awarding ceremony held in Hollywood, California over the weekend. GMA News and Public Affairs bagged six landmark awards including a Gold Camera Award for Jessica Soho’s Philippine Agenda: Education which won in the Documentary for Public Issues and Concerns category. Silver Screen Awards were given for Arnold Clavio’s Philippine Agenda: Health (Public Issues and Concerns); Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho (Documentary/Social Issues); Wish Ko Lang (Entertainment: Motivational); Sandra Aguinaldo’s I-Witness documentary “Iskul Ko Number 1" (Documentary/Social Issues); and Reporter’s Notebook (Documentary/Social Issues). GMA Network’s three-year-old sister station QTV Channel 11, meanwhile, earned Gold Camera Awards for Proudly Filipina for Motivational program in the Entertainment category. GMA likewise garnered minor awards, with 100% Pinoy, Reporter's Notebook's "Pulong Diablo", Jay Taruc’s I-Witness documentary “Batang Kalabaw", and Kara David’s I-Witness’ documentary “Gapos" bagging the Creative Excellence awards respectively. QTV programs Kids on Q and May Trabaho Ka also received similar recognitions. “One network, GMA, has created some of the most wonderful programming that we at the festival have seen over the years,” said Lee Gluckman Jr, USIFVF chairman. This year’s success was the biggest haul of GMA News and Public Affairs at the USIFVF - which is one of the world’s leading competition for corporate, documentary educational, entertainment and student productions. This year's competition was participated by 23 countries. GMA executives, meanwhile, consider the recognition as a “bonus.” “Talaga namang ang goal natin ay makapaghatid ng information, makapag-impart primarily sa audience natin ng information para ma-empower sila. Pero pag ganitong nare-recognize tayo lalo na sa labas ng bansa, para siyang sweetener. Parang bonus (Our primarily goal really is to impart information to our audience to empower them. When we get recognized especially outside the country, it comes as a sweetener, a bonus),” said Marissa Flores, senior vice president of GMA News and Public Affairs. - GMANews.TV