The story of a man is wrongly jailed for murder while the real killer roams free was a big hit at the Cinemanila International Film Festival held at the SM Aura on Dec. 22.
According to festival director Tikoy Aguiluz, the screening of Lav Diaz’s four-hour epic “Norte, Hangganan ng Kasayasayan” was an SRO (standing room only) affair.
The four-hour epic which won accolades from foreign critics when it premiered in Cannes last May, also won a major prize with Diaz tying with Brazil’s Kieber Mendonça Filho (“Neighboring Sound”) for best director in the International Cinema section.
Other winners were in the Oscar best foreign language film derby were Paolo Sorrentino’s “The Great Beauty” (Italy) winner of the Lino Brocka Grand Prize, and Rithy Panh’s “The Missing Picture” (Cambodia), which won the Grand Jury award.
The Digital Lokal section was topped by Raya Martin’s “How to Disappear Completely,” which won best film and director; while Theo Lozada won the Ishmael Bernal award (for “Tunga”); and John Lazam’s “Pantomina ng mga Anyong Ikinubli ng Alon,” best short in the Young Cinema category.
