Tuli, President’s Last Bang lead CineManila awards

Auraeus Solito, the indie filmmaker who cried foul recently when producer Viva Films cut his Tuli without his imprimatur, was the brightest star at Wednesday’s seventh CineManila Film Festival awards night when his obra won Best Picture in the local digital film category. Solito was also adjudged the festival’s Best Local Director for his brutal, satirical and painful rite-of-passage opus.

Korea’s The President’s Last Bang, a black comedy that perused on the 1979 assassination of President Park Chung Hee, received the Lino Brocka Award, the grand prize in the international category of the film festival. The movie, directed by Im Sang-soo, was reportedly heavily censored in Korea. The censorship prodded Korean filmmakers among other freedom activists to protest. The award was accepted by Kim Dong Ho, director of Pusan International Film Festival, who was also accorded the Lifetime Achievement Award that night.

In Casablanca Angels Don’t Fly, a film from Morocco, won the Grand Jury Prize (second Best International Film).

Twelve films competed in the international category including the Philippine entry Panaghoy sa Suba.

"Sana wala ng (I hope there’s no more) censorship," Solito said in his acceptance speech while glancing at Vincent del Rosario, his producer, who shared the stage with him when the two accepted the bulul trophy for the Best Picture and the P1.5 million cash prize. Solito, in his speech, thanked Del Rosario and shook his hand, an apparent proof that all is well that ends well.

The UP-educated Solito also brought honor to the country a few months ago when his debut full-length film Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros won top awards at the Cinemalaya and Montreal Film Festival.

Ang Daan Patungong Kalimugtong, Ramon de Guzman’s film about bruised and abused young people who dreamed of a bright and beautiful future using their education, won the second Best Picture in the local category. The movie also received P1 million cash prize.

Ala Verde Ala Pobre won third Best Picture and a cash prize of P700,000. Briccio Santos directed the film which is about a couple surviving a nurturing destitution while living along rail tracks.

Ala Verde took home three more awards – Best Screenplay, Best Actress for Ana Capri and Best Actor for Bo Vicencio. It was Capri’s second time to accept the Best Actress trophy from CineManila. She got her first international award in 1999 for the movie Pila Balde. Vicencio was not around to accept his trophy because, one source said, "he had a makeup job to do because he needed money."

Shortly after Vicencio’s name was announced, Yul Servo, a nominee for Best Actor for Ilusyon arrived. He was apparently clueless that the plum for Best Actor was already given to Vicencio. Servo won his first Best Actor trophy from CineManila in 2001 for the movie Batang West Side.

Ilusyon, one of the eight contending films in the local category and Rated A recently by the Cinema Evaluation Board, did not get any award. Ditto with Cut, Dilim, Trabaho, and Matthew, Mark, Luke and John (which some industry observers thought would bag the top prize).

Other winners in the international component of CineManila were Poland’s entry Children of Leningradski directed by Hanna Polak (Best Documentary International); Fatoumada Coilibaly (Best Actress for Senegal’s Moolaade); Krystyna Feldman (Best Actor for Poland’s My Nikifor); John Torres (Best Short Film and Ishmael Bernal Award for Salat).

The awards night was hosted by Raymond Gutierrez and Nancy Castiglione.