The 10th Cinemanila International Film Festival has handed out its awards, and winning best actor in the Southeast Asian Competition was Mario Maurer in Love of Siam.
Director Chukiat Sakweerakul's gay teen romance and family drama was among seven films in the Manila fest's competition. Mario portrays Tong, a boy from a troubled Roman Catholic family whose sister has disappeared, his father has turned into a catatonic alcoholic, he is in an unfulfilling relationship with a girl named Donut and now his rekindled relationship with his best friend from childhood is giving his mother fits.
Earlier this year, Mario had been a nominee for Best Supporting Actor at the 2nd Asian Film Awards. Love of Siam is Thailand's submission for the Oscars.
Here is the list of winners in the Southeast Asian Competition:
- Best SEA Short: Frou Frou ... Shh Wag Mong Sabihin Kay Itay, by Michael Juat
- Best SEA Film: Confessional by Jerrold Tarog and Ruel Dahis Antipuesto (Philippines)
- Best Actor: Mario Maurer for Love of Siam (Thailand)
- Best Actress: Anita Linda for Adela (Philippines)
The top Lino Brocka Award Grand Prize went to The Band’s Visit from Israel. The Grand Jury Prize was awarded to The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela by Olaf De Fleur Johannesson.The honorees get a really cool statuette.
Jurors for the SEA Competition were Wong Tuck Cheong, president of the Malaysian Film Club (Kelab Seni Filem Malaysia) in Kuala Lumpur and a board member of the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC); Filipina actress Ana Capri and Australian-Filipino actor Kenneth Moraleda. He won the Vic Silayan Award for Best Actor for his performance in Lucky Miles,which was in the main competition.
Thai filmmaker Pimpaka Towira served on the Digital Lokal Competition jury with Lav Diaz - returning a favor after Diaz sat on the jury of this year's Bangkok International Film Festival, which Pimpaka co-programmed. Diaz' latest film Melancholia was in the main compeition where it won the best actress award for the performance by Angeli Bayani.
The 10th Cinemanila Film Festival continues until October 29.
(Thank you BkkDreamer!)
Philippine Daily Inquirer has a great story on Anita Linda, the actress in Adela. Here's an excerpt:
ReplyDeleteAnita Linda couldn’t make it to the Cinemanila awards rites held Monday in Malacañang because that was her “gardening day.”
“My hair wasn’t fixed and my hands were dirty,” she recalled.
Still, she said she was “overjoyed” to win Best Actress for her work in Adolf Alix Jr.’s “Adela,” which competed with six other films in the festival’s Southeast Asian section.
Alix said Anita cried upon learning the good news.
“It’s my first international recognition,” she later told Inquirer Entertainment in a phone interview. “It’s a pleasant surprise and a great birthday gift.”
The legendary actress, who won a Maria Clara Award in 1951 (precursor of the Famas) for “Sisa,” turns 84 on Nov. 23.
Here's the citation :
ReplyDeleteMature acting choices within a wide range of situations. Beneath a calm and placid external demeanor his performance he displayed a rich inner struggle dealing with emotional burdens, with family, friends, his social circle and his romantic and sexual awakening.