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Brillante Mendoza’s Serbis won the Best Director and Best Actress awards (for Gina Pareño) in the Pacific Meredian International Film Festival of Asian-Pacific Countries in Vladivostok, Russia last Sept. 13 to 19.

Serbis had its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, and Regent Entertainment has acquired the US distribution rights and have confirmed that Serbis will open theatrically in select cities in the US in November.

It will have its US premiere as an official selection in the New York Film Festival next month.

Regent said with the release of Serbis this year, it is possible that it will qualify for the Best Foreign Language Film category in the Golden Globes awards and critics awards like the Los Angeles and New York Film Critics Awards.

Mendoza’s Foster Child was released in France last February by Ad Vitam and the DVD will be released this month. Tirador acquired by Swift Distribution will be released in France next year.

Thailand’s Sahamongko Films plans to release Serbis later this year. Other territories which acquired Serbis so far are Benelux with Paradiso Entertainment, Singapore and Brunei with Cathay, Portugal with Lusomundo, Greece with Seven Films and in Israel with United King.

Earlier this year, Mendoza ‘s Tirador won the Caligari Prize Award in Berlin’s Forum section and the Best Film, Director and Netpac Awards in Singapore. Foster Child won the Signis Award in Las Palmas and the Best Film and Best Actress (for Cherry Pie Picache) awards in Singapore.

Brillante will attend the New York screening of Serbis on Oct. 12. He will also serve as instructor at the Asian Film Academy (Sept. 25 to Oct. 12) in Pusan, Korea. Director Hou Hsiao Hsien will be this year’s Dean of the AFA.

In November, Brillante will sit as a member of the jury in the international competition section of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival in Greece where Serbis will be screened in the Independence Days section with Francis Pasion’s Jay. Paolo Villlaluna and Ellen Ramos’ Selda is in the main competition section.