The video competition called for a video no longer than three minutes and the content must show the meaning of democracy or according to the official contest site, “must complete the phrase, 'Democracy is…'”. Uploaded in YouTube, entries were then judged on the videos' demonstration of the meaning and value of democracy, the originality of the concepts, ideas and style used in the film.
Three finalists from each of the six world geographic regions as defined by the U.S. Department of State (Western Hemisphere, East Asia Pacific, Europe, Africa, Near East, South & Central Asia) will be chosen by 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). The finalist videos were posted on the Contest site and the public had one month to vote for their favorite videos.
Peñafiel and Ocampo's entry “Mabuhay ang Taong Magiting” or Long Live the Fearless Man is narrated in Filipino with English subtitles, showing black-and-white scenes and close shots of a man with words like “demokrasya” and “panlilinlang” tattooed on his body.
“The body parts and the texts on the body… we wanted to do that to emphasize how you, as a person, as a citizen, cannot change who you are. It will show how you feel about your government, your country. No one can take that away from you, they cannot erase that,” Peñafiel explained.
The filmmakers worked out a detailed list of the visual shots they wanted to match the script Ocampo had written. Peñafiel on the other hand, handled much of the camerawork and technical aspects of the film.
The six winners will receive all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., New York and Hollywood and meetings with democracy advocates from government, media and civil society. The other grand prize winners are Chansa Tembo from Zambia; Lukasz Szozda, Poland; Tsering Choden, Nepal; Rodin Hamidi, U.A.E.; and Anna Carolina Dos Santos Israel from Brazil.
