Karl Malakunas’ film Delikado has earned an Emmy nomination in the “Outstanding Investigative Documentary” category, securing one of the five coveted spots in the prestigious category.
Delikado qualified for the Emmy nomination following its screening on PBS in the US. The film, co-produced by POV and ITVS, is directed and produced by Malakunas, in collaboration with producers Marty Syjuco, editor Michael Collins and Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala.
The 96-minute environmental thriller pays tribute to the brave land defenders in Palawan, shedding light on the dangerous work of environmental defenders Bobby, Tata and Nieves as they confront powerful forces threatening the island’s ecological balance and bent on destroying the Philippines’ “last ecological frontier.” The documentary exposes illegal logging, illegal fishing and mining, primarily driven by big developers, businessmen and politicians.
Delikado made its mark at the Sydney Film Festival in June 2022, winning the $10,000 Sustainable Futures Award and earning a nomination for the Asia Pacific Screen Award, along with a special mention from the jury.
Malakunas, upon winning, expressed his hope that the recognition would further empower the cause of “environmental champions who seem to be no match [to] insatiable greed and corruption.”
In August 2022, the film took center stage as the closing film at the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival, drawing the largest audience in the festival. The environmental defenders, joined by Malakunas, were individually honored during a post-screening panel discussion led by journalist Karen Davila.
Malakunas, a Walkley Award-winning journalist and the Asia-Pacific deputy editor in chief for Agence France-Presse, spent eight years in the Philippines as the Manila Bureau Chief for AFP, which influenced his work on Delikado.
The 44th News & Documentary Emmy Awards, covering 62 categories, announced the nominees on Thursday, 27 July (US time). The live presentation of the news and documentary categories will take place at the Palladium Times Square in New York City on 27 to 28 September (US time), respectively.
Delikado received support from the Shark Island Institute, with Clara Williams Roldan from Documentary Australia contributing as an impact consultant. It features Tom Bannigan’s cinematography, Eric Daniel Metzgar and Paul Alexander Juutilainen’s editing, Nainita Desai’s musical composition and Michael “Gonzo” Gandsey’s sound design.