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Filipino film 'Diamonds in the Sand' wins Best Debut at Italy's Far East Film Festival
Congratulations are in order for Director Janus Victoria and the whole cast and crew of "Diamonds in the Sand"! They just won the best debut at the Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy!
On social media, the prestigious film festival announced the winners, where it said the Filipino film "Diamonds in the Sand" won the jury-approved White Mulberry Award for First Feature Film.
"Diamonds in the Sand," is the directorial film debut of Victoria, a former director at GMA Public Affairs' 'i-Witness" who also wrote the story.
She received the award from the Far East Festival jurors Kim Yutani, who also happens to be the Director of Programming for the Sundance Film Festival; Japanese producer Shinji Sakoda, who brings with him 35 years of experience in producing, licensing, and distribution; and Japanese actress and producer Megumi, a Blue Ribbon Awardee for Best Supporting Actress for her roles in Typhoon Family (2019) and One Night (2019).
At the awarding ceremony, Megumi called the film "wonderful," noted that the film was made in Japan, Philippines, and Malaysia, and said "I felt the possibility that the development of joint policies in movies would expand."
"As a lonely Japanese man meets Filipinos, he changes quietly, and at the same time, the Filipinos you're influenced by meeting a Japanese man. It was wonderful that they were drawn in a gentle way to blend in between Japan and Manila," Megumi said in Japanese.
"Diamonds in the Sand" follows the story of Yoji, a divorced and demoted Japanese salaryman who leaves it all behind and heads to Manila, believing nobody is lonely in the Philippines, and stars Filipino actresses Maria Isabel and Charlie Diazon and legendary Japanese actor, Lily Franky, who flew to all the way to Italy to attend the film's international premiere on April 27.
"When I got to the venue, the 1,200-seater Teatro Nuovo, I was overwhelmed to see it full. Hearing the audience react while the film played was very gratifying. Our film received a lot of love in the end," Victoria told GMA News Online in quick interview.
"Diamonds in the Sand" was also nominated for Best Screenplay, an award that went to "Welcome to the Villaga" by Jojo Hideo.
"Diamonds in the Sand" is one of the two Filipino films that competed in at the festival, the other being "Sunshine" starring Maris Racal.
Congratulations!
— LA, GMA Integrated News
