Gameboys, the hit Filipino “boys love” web series starring Elijah Canlas and Kokoy de Santos, has been nominated in the 2021 International Emmy Awards. 

The IdeaFirst Company, creator of Gameboys, announced the news on Wednesday, September 8 through their social media accounts. “Congratulations, Team Gameboys! International Emmy Awards 2021 Nominee for Kids – Live Action!” the post said. 

Gameboys joins three other entries from Australia, Netherlands, and Argentina under the kids live-action category. Based on the IEMMY’s website, Gameboys is the sole Filipino entry nominated for any category. Winners will be announced in an online presentation on October 12, 2021. 

This is the second time for the web series to gain international recognition from a global award-giving body. In November 2020, Gameboys was named Best Web Series at the Seoul Indie Shorts Awards. 

Set in locked-down Manila during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gameboys follows Cairo (Elijah Canlas), a popular gamer, and Gavreel, (Kokoy de Santos), a fan of Cairo’s who pursues him. The hit BL series first premiered on YouTube in May 2020 and ran for 13 episodes. 

In December 2020, a “level-up edition” of the first season that included additional footage was released on Netflix. The series has since expanded into Gameboys: The Movie, which was released in July 2021, and a second season, which has yet to announce its premiere date. 

Gameboys is directed by Ivan Andrew Payawal and written by Ash Malanum. It also stars Adrianna So, Kyle Velino, Miggy Jimenez, and Kych Minemoto.  – Rappler.com