Winners at France and Netherlands filmfests

Zig Dulay’s Bagahe (Baggage, left) and Shireen Seno’s Nervous Translation (right) were big winners in the recently-concluded international film festivals in France and the Netherlands, respectively.

Bagahe, written and directed by Dulay, received the highest award, Cyclo d’Or (Gold Cyclo), besting eight other entries from Japan, China, Afghanistan, South Korea, Bhutan, Iran, Laos and Malaysia in the 24th Vesoul International Film Festival on Asian Cinemas in France.

Bagahe tells the story of an OFW named Mercy Abunag who was suspected to have abandoned a newborn child in a trash bin of an airplane toilet. The film won Best Screenplay (for Dulay) and Best Actress (for Angeli Bayani) in the 2017 Cinemalaya.

Meanwhile, Seno’s Nervous Translation won the NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) Award as the Best Asian Feature Film in the 47th International Film Festival Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

The jury cited the film “for its singularly representation of childhood that captures a unique view of the world — one that is full of contradictory interactions, introspection, social and political dissonance, and disquietude. With this film, the director has succeeded in creating an unforgettable cinematic universe.”

Nervous Translation was screened in Berlinale, 68th Berlin International Film Festival last Feb. 19 and will premiere at The Museum of Modern Art on April 7 and Film Society of Lincoln Center on April 8 as part of the 47th New Directors, New Films in New York, USA.