 Bolinao 52 Won 2 EMMY® Awards
Monday, May 18, 2009- The 38th Annual Northern California Area EMMY® Awards were presented Saturday evening, May 16th 2009 at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. BOLINAO 52 received the honor in two categories: NEWS AND PROGRAM SPECIALTY- Documentary “Bolinao 52,” KTEH 54 / Rhimp Productions / Center for Asian American Media / ITVS Duc H. Nguyen, Producer/Director CRAFT ACHIEVEMENT- Musical Composition/Arrangement “Bolinao 52,” KTEH 54 / Rhimp Productions / Center for Asian American Media / ITVS Mark G. Izu, Composer The Emmy® is awarded for outstanding achievement in Television by The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. San Francisco/Northern California is one of the twenty chapters awarding regional Emmys®. Northern California is composed of television and cable stations from Visalia to the Oregon border and includes Hawaii and Reno, Nevada. Entries were aired during the 2008 calendar year. 809 entries were received in 62 categories, 239 were nominated and 77 receive the Emmy® statuette. The ballots were tallied by the accounting firm of Spalding & Company of San Francisco. The Complete list of Emmy® Award recipients can be viewed at: www.emmysf.tv/emmy09winpr.pdf Film Synopsis: Following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, millions of refugees took the perilous voyage across the South China Sea to find freedom. Many died of drowning, starvation and thirst. Some were lost at sea for days while others were pillaged and raped by pirates. More than thirty years later, filmmaker Duc Nguyen, himself a boat refugee, retraces the odyssey of the Bolinao 52 - and reveals an incredible tale of survival, reconciliation and closure. One hundred and ten refugees boarded a crowded boat one night in May 1988. Soon after leaving Vietnam, the boat’s engine died. They were ignored by over 20 passing ships. Nineteen days later, the USS Dubuque stopped but the ship’s captain refused to pick up the dying refugees. Facing death, they resorted to cannibalism. After 37 days at sea, only 52 people survived. Finally, humble fishermen rescued them to the coastal town of Bolinao in the Philippines. This is the true story of the Bolinao 52. Bolinao 52 DVD was recently released. The documentary won the Best Audience Choice Award at the 3rd biennial Vietnamese International Film Festival (ViFF) in 2007. For more information about the film and its progress please go to www.bolinao52.com or the BOLINAO 52 blog: bolinao52.blogspot.com.
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