June 17, 2009

Filipino Artists Named East Asia Winner in the Worldwide “Democracy Video Challenge”

On June 16, 2009, the U.S. Department of State and its partners announced that Melissa “Aissa” Peñafiel and Miguel Ocampo were among the six winners of the Democracy Video Challenge, a worldwide online competition that engages people around the world in a global dialogue on democracy.

U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenney exclaimed, “This is a wonderful achievement for Aissa Peñafiel and Miguel Ocampo.  Their three-minute video, entitled ‘Long Live the Fearless Man,’ shows the real power of Filipinos increasingly in the film and creative arts industry.”

The Challenge asked young video makers to complete the phrase, “Democracy is…” through three-minute videos posted on the competition’s YouTube site.  More than 900 people from 95 countries answered the challenge.  An independent jury co-chaired by Hernando de Soto (President of the Institute for Liberty and Democracy) and Michael Apted (President of the Directors Guild of America) selected the 18 finalists, and the online voting public chose the six winners, one from each region of the world.  The Philippine entry also featured local actor Alastaire “Alas” Tabilos.

The winners will receive an all-expense-paid trip to New York, Washington, and Los Angeles in September, where they will meet with democracy groups, film and television companies, the media, and government organizations.  Screenings of their films are planned in all three cities.

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