Hilda returning to Cannes
It will be a sentimental journey for the actress, toast of the French fest 35 years ago
IT HAS BEEN 35 years since she last walked the red carpet at Cannes, and Filipino actress Hilda Koronel is on cloud nine as she prepares to return to the world’s biggest film festival this month for the world premiere of the digitally restored version of Lino Brocka’s 1975 masterpiece, “Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag.”
Last time Hilda was there, she had gone for another Brocka film, “Insiang,” which screened in the Section Parallèlle or Directors’ Fortnight in 1978.
“Maynila,” restored through the efforts of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Foundation, will be shown alongside Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s “Cleopatra,” Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Last Emperor” in 3D, Alain Resnais’ “Hiroshima Mon Amour,” Patrice Chéreau’s “La Rein Margot,” Francesco Rosi’s “Lucky Luciano” and Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo,” among others, in the esteemed Cannes Classics section.
In an e-mail interview, Hilda, now based in the United States, told the INQUIRER: “I’m very proud and excited that ‘Maynila’ was chosen to be screened with movies like ‘Cleopatra’ and ‘The Last Emperor.’ It’s a tremendous honor. We should all be proud as Filipinos.”
She has made all necessary arrangements to travel to the south of France later this month, with the help of FDCP.
“I’m looking forward to watching ‘Maynila’ again. It will surely bring back a lot of wonderful memories and I am certain