2 Pinoy films bag awards at int'l festival in Pusan

Two Filipino films took home prizes from the 13th Pusan International Film Fest, which concluded yesterday, October 10, in South Korea. The comedy drama 100 bagged the KNN Audience Choice Award while the short film Andong shared the Sonje Award with the Korean film Girl. Directed by Chris Martinez, the Cinemalaya full-length film 100 stars Mylene Dizon, Eugene Domingo, and Tessie Tomas. The award comes with a cash prize of $20,000 that is sponsored by Korea's KNN TV network. Eugene and Tessie joined Direk Chris in attending the film festival that took place in Pusan (also known as Busan), South Korea. Andong director Milo Tolentino was cited by the PIFF for "excavating a truthful story from the midst of the city dumpsite and told it with witty humor and brilliant performance." The Sonje award comes with a cash prize of $10,000. Direk Milo's short film is about a six-year-old boy named Andong who is obsessed with P20. The nine-day Pusan IFF screened 315 movies from 60 countries, with 85 world premieres and 95 Asian premieres. Fourteen films, including the film 100, competed in the New Currents section. The jury was headed by French actress Anna Karina, who is best known for her work with director/husband Jean-Luc Godard. Direk Chris Martinez told PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) via email that even before the festival started, 100's advanced ticket sales were sold out in just one minute! The Pusan IFF marks the first international film festival for the movie 100. This Cinemalaya entry tells the story of a dying woman (played by Mylene Dizon) with 100 things to do before she dies. Viewers will be able to watch the film when it opens in commercial theaters starting December 3, distributed by Star Cinema. The Film Development Council of the Philippines subsidized the trip to Korea of lead stars Eugene, Tessie, and Direk Chris. - Philippine Entertainment Portal