The Australian Filipina is proud to share that at the Sydney Film Festival awards night on June 19, 2022 Delikado was announced as the winner of the Amanda Maple-Brown sponsored Sustainable Future Award. The award is for "a narrative or documentary film of any length that deepens our knowledge and awareness of the impact of the global climate emergency".
Congratulations to Karl Malakunas, Director, and all involved in making the documentary for all the dedication, sacrifices and the talents that were poured into the making of the film.
We had the privilege to have met Karl Malakunas and his family, Clara Williams Roldan, (Impact & Education Director of Documentary Australia) and Ron & Missy Chan at the screening of the documentary on June 9. Ron is the brother of Bobby Chan, one of the land crusaders and environmental lawyer of the group.
The screening was attended by several Fil-Aus community leaders and the public. The overall feedback was the great mission and advocacy was well shared to the audience.
With the permission of Karl Malakunas we are glad to share his posting on Facebook regarding the award for Delikado.
The main idea of my acceptance speech was to honour Efren Balladares, Nieves Cabunalda Rosento, Attorney Bobby Chan and the whole team at Palawan NGO Network Inc. for their courage, and being an inspiration as we all look for hope in the sometimes seemingly overwhelming struggle to limit climate change. They are our real-life super heroes we can tell our children about.
Land defenders like Tata, Nieves and Bobby in Palawan, like land defenders around the world, are under unprecedented threats as they fight to protect the planet's diminishing natural resources. They are on the frontlines of the battle against climate change, and they are being killed in record numbers. Since the Paris Climate accords, more than four land defenders have been reported murdered around the world every week, with the Philippines ranked the deadliest alongside Colombia, Brazil and Honduras, according to Global Witness. Our film is in memory of Kap Ruben Arzaga, who was murdered in the forests surrounding El Nido. Sealah Villarosa Arzaga Jabagat and her siblings and mother continue their own heroic struggle for justice.
It was wonderful to share the night with Tom Bannigan, with whom the film could never have been made. His coolness and calmness in the forests were amazing, and matched by his wonderful cinematic eye.
There are so many other people who were integral to the making of the film. Thank you to Marty Syjuco, Michael Collins, Kara Magsanoc Alikpala, Gretchen Malalad, Keith Flash Matienzo, Laura Nix, Daniel J. Chalfen, Eric Daniel Metzgar, Ali Marsh, Craig Marsh, James Costa, Andrea Capranico Bonnie Au, Chad de Guzman, Eli Sepe, De Joya Aje, Sherbien Dacalanio, Shaleece Haas, Suparna Bhasin, Paul Alexander Juutilainen. And my final words last night were to thank Amy Malakunas and my two beautiful children for making their own big sacrifices in allowing this film to be.
A massive thanks also to our friends/partners/mentors at Doc Society, Documentary Australia, TIME, Shark Island Institute, PBS, POV, ITVS, MaiTri Foundation, the Ryan Cooper Foundation, and Rocky Collins and the old Vulcan team.
We are building an impact campaign to defend the land defenders in Palawan, the Philippines and around the world. For updates on this, please sign up via our website: www.delikadofilm.com.
Our immediate call to action is to support the Palawan NGO Network Inc. Please do follow them on Facebook and send them a message of support. And one of their biggest battles is against a lack of funds. Donations can go directly through their website. www.pnni.org .
After its screening in Sydney, Delikado was also shown in New Zealand’s doc edge Film Festival, which is celebrating excellence and achievement in documentary. It won Special Mention in the International Competition of doc edge.
TAF wishes Delikado more success where it will be shown and in stirring more support for its crusade for preserving the environment.