“Metro Manila,” a film starring and co-produced by Filipinos has won the Audience Award at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.
The movie was recognized at the awarding ceremony held Saturday night (US time) under the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. The film was in the same category as 11 other films from other countries that include Chile, South Korea, Austria, Afghanistan, and Germany.
The Sundance official website describes “Metro Manila” as a film about a Filipino family seeking greener pastures in the Philippine capital. However, they encountered difficulties from manipulations of its hardened locals forcing lead character Oscar to confront the perils he faces in his new job and life.
The film stars Filipino actors John Arcilla, Althea Vega, Jake Macapagal, JM Rodriguez and Ana Abad Santos, among others. It was also produced by the United Kingdom through Sean Ellis, an Oscar and British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA)-nominated British filmmaker. Ellis likewise served as director and co-writer.
Sundance was founded by Robert Redford and has been recognizing films with the most original and authentic storytelling for more than two decades now.