...the soap opera Mara Clara

'Mara Clara' remake gets Banff nomination

MB – Wed, Apr 20, 2011

MANILA, Philippines - ABS-CBN's remake of the 90s classic soap opera "Mara Clara" is set to compete in Canada's 2011 Banff World Media Festival in June.

According to Banff's official website, "Mara Clara" is one of the two Asian nominees in the Telenovelas & Soap Operas category, pitted against South Korea's "Bread, Love and Dreams," popularly known locally as GMA 7's "Baker King."

Aside from "Bread, Love and Dreams," "Mara Clara" will be up against the United Kingdom's "Coronation Street"; and the USA's "Days of Our Lives," "Eva Luna" and "The Queen of the South" in the same category.

"Mara Clara" was originally aired on ABS-CBN from 1992 until 1997. The original story, created by Emil Cruz, Jr., follows the life of two young ladies, the meek but poor Mara and the rich villain Clara, who were switched at birth. The original starred Judy Ann Santos (Mara) and Gladys Reyes (Clara).

In 2010, ABS-CBN announced that a remake of the hit TV series will be aired and will star rookie actresses Kathryn Bernardo as Mara and Julia Montes as Clara. The show is currently airing on ABS-CBN's primetime block.

The Banff World Media Festival, also known as the "Rockies," is an "internationally-recognized awards program celebrating the very best in international television and digital media production" and will run from June 12-15.

Generally, the festival is divided into three categories: the Fiction Rockies, the Non-Fiction Rockies and the Interactive Rockies. The Telenovelas & Soap Operas category is under the Fiction Rockies, a category that "recognizes the very best in scripted television programming from around the world."

The Fiction Rockies awards ceremony will take place on June 12 at the AOL Canada Theater and will be hosted by "Entertainment Tonight" Canada's Hollywood correspondent Matte Babel.