Critically acclaimed series On the Job has been nominated for Best TV Movie/Mini-Series in this year’s International Emmy Awards.
On The Job: The Series, adapted from the 2013 full-length film of the same name and its sequel On the Job: The Missing 8 is in the running against three other nominees: “Help” (United Kingdom), “Il Est Elle” (France), and La Historia Íntima De La Escritora Isabel Allende (Chile).
“We are very proud of this nomination for On the Job, which is a testament to world-class Filipino talent. To be shortlisted among four nominees is, in itself, a huge honor. Through ANIMA, we hope to bring more films and other content to the global stage,” said KROMA CEO Ian Monsod.
“Honestly, I wasn’t expecting this. It is surprising and impressive at the same time to be recognized amongst everything that was produced in the past year,” said director Erik Matti.
“The TV Movie/Mini-series category is one of the most difficult categories to be nominated in. Years ago, it was already tough, but in the age of streaming, it’s even tougher because any other country and any other streaming services are doing their own limited series with a bigger production budget, and equally strong themes and stories. The Philippines is just emerging in this format, and to be nominated is already an achievement, whether we win or not. So with that, we are all just happy and we hope that Filipinos would equally be as proud,” he said.
Reality MM Studios co-founder and On The Job executive producer Ronald “Dondon” Monteverde said the recognition is reassuring for the industry.
“The journey of making it to the International Emmys shows the ingenuity of the Filipino. Without the scale of budgets of our international counterparts, we were able to produce quality work – something that Erik and I have been advocating for so long,” he said.
On The Job (OTJ) reflects real-life social ills including corruption and media censorship. Inspired by true events, it tells the story of prisoners hired as contract killers for government officials, and the journey of media man Narciso “Sisoy” Salas, who is forced to start an investigation following the disappearance of his colleagues.
It boasts of a powerhouse cast led by Joel Torre, John Arcilla, Piolo Pascual, Dennis Trillo, Gerald Anderson, Joey Marquez, Dante Rivero, Christopher de Leon, and Lotlot de Leon.
On the Job: The Missing 8 premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, where it entered the Main Competition for the Golden Lion. It also won the prestigious Volpi Cup Best Actor Award for Arcilla.
On The Job is an HBO Asia Original Series co-produced by Reality MM Studios and Globe Studios (now known as ANIMA Studios) under entertainment company KROMA Entertainment.