A feat for the documentary film that highlights one of the most horrific cases in modern times.
At the ongoing Doc Edge Festival in New Zealand, which kicked off last June 24, the Filipino documentary film 58th, which is produced by GMA Pictures and GMA Public Affairs was recognized.
The movie, which revisits the Maguindanao Massacre, widely regarded as the deadliest attack on journalists in history, has won in the Facing the Edge category of the festival.
That honor is given to films that tackle the “boundary of justice, technology, love, and what it means to be human in a shifting world.”
It is feat for the film as the Doc Edge Festival is accredited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the organization behind the annual Academy Awards or Oscars, with winners in selected categories becoming eligible for Oscar consideration.
The Doc Edge Festival also showcases the films from New Zealand and around the world, with it known to select high-quality films that demonstrate excellence in storytelling, celebrate diversity, and inspire social change.
It also follows its premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam earlier in the year and its inclusion in the selection of the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
The film, directed by award-winning filmmaker Carl Joseph Papa and features a stellar cast led by Glaiza de Castro, honors the victims of the grim event and brings renewed attention to the case of Reynaldo “Bebot” Momay, who is still seeking recognition as the 58th victim of the massacre.
The movie combines animation with archival footage and explores themes of press freedom, fragile democracies, election violence, impunity, and accountability, according to GMA Network.