The story of 12-year-old volunteer teacher “Dagul”, presented in a documentary on GMA Network’s Reel Time, won the Gold Dolphin at the 2019 Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards held on September 26 (September 27 PH Time) in France.
The Reel Time episode titled “Batang Maestro (Little Teacher) won the Gold Award in the Current Affairs, Human Concerns and Social Issues category of the Cannes Awards that screened more than 950 productions from 51 countries.
The Gold Dolphin is GMA News and Public Affairs’ first-ever recognition from the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards.
The documentary “Batang Maestro” tells the story of 12-year-old Dagul, a volunteer teacher who braves the river of Donsol in Sorsogon province on a bamboo raft just to reach a mountain village where he teaches children to read.
Dagul is one of the volunteer teachers from the class of the headteacher of San Jose Elementary School in Sorsogon. The volunteer teachers make sacrifices to teach children of remote villages who cannot go to school regularly. Dagul pursues his volunteer work to bring pride and honor to his mother, his very first teacher.
GMA News and Public Affairs’ Supervising Producer and Writer Mark Anthony Norella shared the good news on his social media together with the photo of the golden trophy from Cannes.
“May Cannes na tayo! Great news fresh from France! GMA News and Public Affairs’ 1st Cannes award for GMA NewsTV’s flagship documentary,” Norella shared in his post.
“Para sa lahat ng tumulong sa pagbuo ng dokumentaryong ito. Para sa lahat mga dakilang guro at batang maestro. Para sa karangalan nating mga Pilipino!” Norella added, paying tribute to teachers who are being celebrated in September’s National Teachers Month.
Another GMA Production, “No Leftovers: A Food Waste Trail” by Atom Araullo was shortlisted for honors in the same category at the 10th Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards.
Both “No Leftovers” and “Batang Maestro had previously won the Silver World Medals at the 2019 New York Festival.
The feat of Reel Time’s “Batang Maestro” adds to the list of awards the Philippines has won from the Cannes such as the advocacy film “Taklub” of Nora Aunor and Brillante Mendoza which bagged a Special Citation award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2015 and Best Actress award for Jaclyn Jose for the movie Ma’ Rosa in 2016.
Philippine films that were selected for Cannes competitions and screenings include the short film “Jodilerks Dela Cruz, Employee of the Month” of Carlo Francisco Manatad in 2017 and “Ang Hupa” (“The Halt”) of award-winning Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz in 2019.
GMA Network’s documentary programs have been receiving awards and recognition from different award-giving bodies around the world.
In 2017, Reel Time also bagged the Golden Nymph Laureate Special Amade Prize at the Monte-Carlo TV Festival in Monaco in Europe for “Isinulat sa Tubig (Forgotten Children of the Waves)”.
Atom Araullo Specials won 2 Gold Camera Awards for documentaries ‘Babies for Sale’ and ‘No Leftovers’ at the 2019 U.S. International Film and Video Festival.
Alden Richards’ “Alaala” clinched a Gold Camera Award from the 50th US International Film and Video Festival and a Silver World Medal at the 2018 New York Festivals’ World’s Best TV and Films.
Additional reports from Angie Quadra Balibay.
WATCH the whole episode of Reel Time’s ‘Batang Maestro (Little Teacher)’, the award-winning documentary of GMA Network, here and SEND congratulations in the comments below!
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