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Brazzil
Press Release
May 2003

Let's Hear It for Brazil's Globo

The Clone—a Brazilian soap opera showing the differences between
Islam and the Western world, and tackling controversial issues
such as arranged marriage, polygamy and adultery—has won
 for Globo TV two Latin ACE 2003 Awards in the United States.

Globo TV International has been awarded two Latin ACE 2003 Awards for its telenovela The Clone. In the TV/Dramatic Series category, Jayme Monjardim received the Latin ACE Award for Best Director for The Clone, and Murilo Benício was honored for Best Actor in the same novela.

The Clone tells the ardent love story of Lucas and Jade, beginning in Morocco in 1980 and spanning through present day Rio de Janeiro. Amidst the overpowering passion of the central characters, the plot deals with topical issues such as human cloning, and the struggles with drug dependency. The Clone shows some of the differences that exist between Islam and the Western world, tackling controversial issues such as arranged marriage, polygamy and adultery.

Jayme Monjardim made his directing debut in 1978 in the award-winning documentary Maysa. In 1984, he joined Globo TV where he directed Voltei Pra Você, his first telenovela for the Brazilian network. Since 1998, Monjardim has directed some of Globo TV's most acclaimed programming, including Brazilian Aquarelle, Terra Nostra and The Clone.

Rio de Janeiro-born Murilo Benício Ribeiro began his acting career in 1993 performing in television, cinema and theater. His first hit movie, Os Matadores, directed by Beto Brant, received critical acclaim in Brazil and film festivals worldwide. Benício was later nominated for a Mambembe Prize, the highest honor on Brazilian theater, for his performance in the play Deus. Benício has also starred in a number of successful Globo TV-produced telenovelas, including Fera Ferida, Anything For Love and Splendor. In The Clone, he portrays three different characters�twin brothers Diogo and Lucas Ferraz, and "the clone", Leandro.

The prize was awarded in a gala ceremony held on April 19, 2003 at the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City.

"We are delighted that these exceptional talents have been recognized by the Latin ACE Awards," said Helena Bernardi, Director of Marketing and Sales. "The Clone is a continuation of Globo TV's tradition of excellence in telenovela programming, and the international success of this drama series shows that quality telenovelas possess a very strong appeal to viewers worldwide."

Globo International

Globo TV International distributes Brazilian TV Globo top rated, high quality productions to over 130 countries worldwide. TV Globo is part of Globo Organizations, one of the leading Latin America MCE (Media, Communications and Entertainment) groups specializing in broadcast networks, radio, publishing, and television production and distribution. Its in-house entertainment factory produces over 80 percent of its programming (2,500 hours in 2001), including telenovelas, drama, comedies, news, talk shows, reality shows, sports and entertainment events.

The Association of Entertainment Critics—known throughout Latin America and Spain as ACE, short for Asociación de Cronistas de Espectáculos de Nueva York—is a unique nonprofit cultural organization founded on December 12, 1967, by a group of New York-based journalists and correspondents. Fernando Campos, former editor of Canales Magazine, is its current president.

Since its founding, the Association of Entertainment Critics of New York has been able to build an impressive record of achievements, which have fulfilled an important need of the Hispanic communities in the United States. Some of the artists honored by ACE and who have attended its various awards ceremonies include Plácido Domingo, Julio Iglesias, and Celia Cruz, among many others.