Nathalie wins Best Actress in NY filmfest

MANILA, Philippines – Nathalie Hart won Best Actress-Narrative Feature for Joel Lamangan’s erotic drama Siphayo in the seventh International Film Festival Manhattan (IFFM) during the awards night held at the Philippine Consulate Kalayaan Hall in New York City, USA last Oct. 20.  

Nathalie plays the role of Alice, an attractive personal nurse, who became the mistress of Dante (Alan Paule) after the death of his cancer-stricken wife, Fely (Maria Isabel Lopez). As Dante’s sons learned that she has been their father’s mistress for some time, an outraged Conrado (Luis Alandy) disrespects Alice at every turn, while Rolando (Joem Bascon) tries to seduce her in a clumsy bid to break off the scandalous union. 

Meanwhile, Ricardo “Ricky” Lee was bestowed the highly coveted Lifetime Achievement Award in Screenwriting. Prior to the awards night, Lee conducted a three-day writing seminar at the Producers’ Club Theaters & Bar in New York.

Other winning Philippine entries were:

• Best Student Film: The Equation by Rhoda Joy Blaza (USA/Philippines)

• Best Music Video: Exist — Kirby Assunto Music Video by Kurt D. Fick (USA/Philippines)

• IFFM Most Popular: Magtanggol by Sigfreid Barros-Sanchez

Ricky Lee with the seventh International Film Festival Manhattan winners

• Best Short: Lucky Jinx by Giovanni Baldeserri

• Best Actor Short: Leon Miguel for Redlights by Christian Lat (Canada/Philippines)

• Best Actor Narrative Feature: Andreas Muñoz for Ignacio de Loyola by Paul Dy (Philippines/Spain)

• Best Ensemble Acting: Cast of Walang Take Two by Carlo Jay Ortega Cuevas

• Best Socially Relevant Film: Filemon Mamon by Will Fredo

• Best Feature Global: Gemini by Ato Bautista

• Honorable Mention-Actress: Brigitte McBride and Sheenah McBride for Gemini

  The four-day festival featured 11 narrative feature films, two documentary feature films and 32 short films from the USA, Spain, China, Mauritius, Australia, Germany, Canada, Argentina, Finland and the Philippines.