‘Pulang Araw’ receives Best Soap nomination in Venice TV Award

‘Pulang Araw’ receives nomination for Best Soap/Telenovela in Venice TV Award | Image: Facebook/GMA Network

The historical Philippine drama “Pulang Araw” has been nominated for Best Soap/Telenovela in the 2024 Venice TV Award.

GMA Network announced the news on their Facebook page, alongside the official poster of the family drama.

“MABUHAY ANG GALING NG PILIPINO! #PulangAraw received a nomination for the Best Soap/Telenovela from the Venice TV Award 2024! Maraming salamat po!” the network wrote in their caption.

The annual Venice TV Award is held two weeks after the Venice Film Festival to honor companies and individuals from the TV industry all over the world.

This year, “Pulang Araw” was the only project from the Philippines that made it to the list of nominees across 19 categories. It was listed alongside other soaps/telenovelas from Portugal, Turkey, and Brazil. “Lady of Tides” of Portugal won the category. 

According to its website, the Venice TV Award was established “as a tribute to and celebration of television, increasing national and international recognition for both producers and broadcasters who create high-quality output.”

“Pulang Araw” follows the stories of Filipino families during World War II and the Japanese occupation in the Philippines. It explores how love and courage triumph in the time of hardships.

The family series focuses on the lives of Adelina (Barbie Forteza), Teresita (Sanya Lopez), Hiroshi (David Licauco), and Eduardo (Alden Richards).

It also features Dennis Trillo, Angelu de Leon, Rochelle Pangilinan, Epy Quizon, Ashley Ortega, Mikoy Morales, Neil Ryan Sese, and Sef Cadayona, among others.

In an interview, Richards underscored that he already knew of the importance of historical stories. But doing “Pulang Araw,” he said, helped him better visualize them, as if he was almost living them in a way.

“I thought, ‘Why not tell the story? Give it a picture, especially for the current generation. In this age of technology or social media, it seems like we have forgotten to take time to look back and reflect on how we achieved the freedom we have today,” he said. “The project will show what our countrymen had to go through back in the day wasn’t easy.”

Upon its premiere on July 26, “Pulang Araw” landed the number one spot on Netflix and stayed in the Top 10 for four consecutive weeks.