Toronto Film Fest to showcase Pinoy films
Posted on August 27th, 2007 under Entertainment Success
Three Filipino films have made it to the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, the second largest film festival in the world and the biggest in North America.
Among the three Filipino films included in the finalist list are:
Brillante Mendoza’s Tirador (Slingshot) which will have its world premiere in Toronto. It stars Jiro Manio, Kristopher King, Nathan Lopez and Coco Martin with the special participation of Jaclyn Jose and Julio Diaz. It is about small-time snatchers in Quiapo during the Holy Week.
Tirador will also screen at the Vancouver International Film Festival along with Foster Child, also by Mendoza. Tirador is produced by Centerstage Productions and Rollingball Entertainment. Ralston Joel Jover wrote the script with Armando Bing Lao as creative consultant.
This is the first time that Filipino films are represented in all the major festivals in the same year. Solito’s Tuli was screened in Sundance and Berlin (Forum); Mendoza’s Foster Child at the Director’s Fortnight in Cannes and Karlovy Vary and Diaz’s Encanto in Venice.
Adolf Alix Jr.’s Kadin had its international premiere in Locarno. Both Pisay and Foster Child are Pusan-bound. Foster Child, Red Ochoa’s Baliw and Neil Buboy Tan’s Ataul will be in the Montreal World Film Festival which starts today. Of course, Jeffrey Jeturian’s award-winning Kubrador is still going around the festival route.
Jiro Manio
If last year Kubrador’s Gina Pareño scored Best Actress awards from New Delhi, Amiens and Brussels, this year it’s Cherry Pie Picache’s turn. She already won Best Actress in Durban, South Africa for Mendoza’s Kaleldo and in New Delhi for Foster Child which is competing in other festivals this year and next year.
Tuli won the NETPAC Award (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) in Berlin and the Grand Jury Award in L.A. Outfest. Kaleldo also won the NETPAC Award from Jeonju, Korea.
Sherad Anthony Sanchez’s Huling Balyan ng Buhi won the First Film Prize Award at the Marseille Documentary Film Festival in France, New Delhi’s Best Film Award in the First Features Section and the One Future Prize Award in Munich. Raya Martin’s Autohystoria won Special Mention in Marseille and gave him the Best Director Award in the digital competition of Cinemanila.