Film on Paco earns Emmy nomination

Los Angeles, California – “Give Up Tomorrow,” a documentary that examines the trial of Cebuano kidnap murder convict Juan Francisco “Paco” Larrañaga earned a nomination for best investigative journalism-long-form in the 34th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards.

The announcement was made last Thursday, July 11, in New York.

The acclaimed documentary by film makers Michael Collins and Marty Syjuco’s examines the trial of Larrañaga and six others convicted for the kidnap-murder victims Marijoy and Jaqueline Chiong in Cebu in 1997.

In a joint statement to the Inquirer, director Collins and producer Syjuco said they were overjoyed by the nomination.

“After dedicating the last nine years to sharing Paco’s story with the world, we are overjoyed with our Emmy nomination – to be recognized for excellence in investigative journalism means the world to us.”

Last month, Paco was given permission to step out of his prison in San Sebastian to speak in the 5th World Congress on the abolition of the death penalty held in Madrid.

The documentary film, which has won several awards in international film festivals, made a week-long run in Cebu and Manila theaters last October.

Two private screenings were held at the Marcelo Fernan Press Center the month before, the first time it was shown in Cebu City where the kidnap-murder took place.

The documentary which explained the side of Paco Larrañaga on the kidnap-murder case had been shown in 25 countries and won 15 awards from film festivals and human rights organizations.

Last year marked Larrañaga’s 15th year in prison along with six other men convicted for the kidnap and murder of Thelma Chiong’s daughters Marijoy and Jaqueline.

Since 2008, Larrañaga had been serving a life sentence in a prison in Spain where he was transferred from the National Bilibid Prison under a prisoner exchange treaty of Spain and the Philippines.

Paco was given a pass out of a San Sebastian prison to attend the April 27 screening and awards ceremony at the San Sebastian Human Rights Film Festival last year where he was given the audience award by the mayor of San Sebastian.

Prior to the film’s showing in Cebu City, Thelma Chiong voiced confidence that Cebuanos won’t believe in the film’s claim that Paco is innocent, saying “it was all lies.”

The documentary, which was seven years in the making, tells how Larrañaga and his six co-accused were supposedly framed for what was described as the “crime of the century” in Cebu.

Marijoy’s body was found at the bottom of a ravine in Tina-an, Carcar in southern Cebu a day after she disappeared. Until now, the Chiong family is still searching for Jacqueline.

The film made its US broadcast premiere on PBS last Oct. 4, as part of the 25th anniversary season of POV, a series acclaimed for showing international documentaries.

Also shown in theaters in the Philippines, the film was released on DVD by First Run Features through Amazon.com and www.GiveUpTomorrow.com. It was executive-produced by Filipino-American filmmaker Ramona Diaz, Simon Kilmurry, Sally Jo Fifer and Don Young.

The winners in various categories, including breaking news, investigative reporting, interview and documentary, will be announced in a ceremony on Oct. 1 at the Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center in the Time Warner Center in New York.

CBS, PBS and HBO led the over-the-air, cable, satellite and Internet nominees with the most nods. Inquirer with a story from Senior Reporter Marian Z. Codilla