Filipino director returns to Cannes
T was only a year ago that director “Nakaw” chosen for screening at the 70th edition of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.
It may not have won in those shores, but the same film reaped other international awards such as Best Director and Best Cinematography awards at the Short + Sweet Film Festival in Hollywood in August last year.
Back home, it also bagged the Gawad Urian 2017 Best Short Film plum. It was a finalist at Cinemalaya (Short Film Feature) and won seven awards at the Pelikultura (2017) including Best Picture and Best Director, among others.
It also made it to the 2017 International Short Film Festival in Berlin and the 2017 Formosa Festival of International Filmmaker Awards (FIFA) in Taiwan.
Still reeling from the experience, Direk Noel is doubly overwhelmed that his latest work, “Alaala,” has been chosen for the Cannes roster again, and that he will - ers Myk Cruz and Patsy Ferrer of Cut! Print! Productions for the festival in May.
Cannes again!” he gushed as he shared the good news with The Roving Eye. “Alaala is a simple story about a man who returns to his hometown and reminisces about his girlfriend.”
Escondo started his career on stage and TV as an actor. Since then he ventured into writing and directing that lasted for 15 years until he decided to move to advertising and became a mu- sic video and TV commercial director.
Rehiyon 9, held at Nabunturan, Compostela Valley, where it became a part of the “Guerilla Filmathon 24-hour Challenge.”
*** Sinag Maynila Film Festival entry “Tale of the Lost Boys” may have a gay character in the story, but director Jay Altarejos just another gay indie.
In an interview with direk Jay on Tuesday, he related how the story was inspired by a friendship he struck with Jay Lin in Taiwan three years ago.
Soon after, Lin became the producer and partner in his movie projects, the latest of which is the Lost Boys.
“His movie “Kasal” was an entry in the Taiwan International Film Festival in distributing shows on cable channels.
They hit it off and from then on, they worked together in some projects.
Oliver Aquino is cast as the Filipino straight guy who goes to Taiwan to look for his parents. There, he meets a gay Taiwanese who comes from a tribe, played by Taiwanese actor Soda Voyu. As they form a friendship, the Taiwanese reveals his struggles in living a secret life because his tribe is very conservative.
Leaving it at that so as not to give away too much, direk Jay said instead that he is very happy to return to Sinag Maynila.
“I just want to enjoy the experience. But of course, I would also love to win an award if I get lucky,” he ended.