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DEPARTMENT
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DEPARTMENT
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TWO PHILIPPINE FILMS WIN TOP AWARDS AT THE 58TH BERLINALE FILM FESTIVAL |
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19 February 2008 -- Philippine Ambassador to Germany Delia Domingo-Albert reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that two Philippine films won major awards at the 58th Berlinale Film Festival that took place on 7-17 February 2008.
The film entitled “Tirador” by film director Brillante Ma. Mendoza won the Caligari Award regarded as the most important award of the Berlinale section - International Forum of New Cinema. The Caligari Award provides an example of a motion picture “frame story” in which the body of the plot is presented as a flashback. The award is named after a movie character created by literary writers Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer who viewed film as a revolutionary medium of artistic expression and visual story-telling that necessitated collaboration between writers and painters, cameramen, actors, and directors. The Caligari Award is conferred by the German Federal Association of 150 cultural cinemas in cooperation with the film journal Filmdienst (Film service).
The jury consisting of Julia Teichmann, Andreas Heidenreich, and Dagmar Kamlah described “Tirador” as a thematically innovative and stylistically creative film which successfully exposes the audience to events, rather than aiming at identification and involving them emotionally. The jury further cited “Tirador” for its breathless handheld-camera, de-saturated colors and pulsating sounds of the city that equally create and catch an atmosphere of urban unrest, imparting a vivid cinema experience without exploiting the slum as exotic scenery.
The award includes an endowment of 4,000.00 Euros that was provided by both member cinemas and the film journal “Filmdienst” and divided equally between film director and the German film distributor. The German newspaper “the taz” (die tageszeitung) is the official media partner of the Caligari Award.
The award was received by “Tirador´s” Co-Director Ms. Anima Aguiluz on behalf of Mr. Brillante Ma. Mendoza.
“Tirador”´s Caligari award is the
latest feather to the film’s cap of other accomplishments, since debuting in the
circuit of international film festivals in 2007.
A Philippine-Icelandic film co-production entitled “The Amazing Truth about Queen Raquela” directed by Olaf de Fleur Johannesson and stars Raquela Rios and Stefan Schaefer won the Teddy Award for the best feature film.
The Teddy Awards are given to films that have a gay and/or lesbian context.
The nine members of the
international jury – for the most part, organizers of gay and lesbian film
festivals – view films screened in all sections of the Festival. A 3,000-Euro
Teddy donated by Pro-Fun Media is awarded to the Philippine-Icelandic film for
its ability to address, race, gender, and poverty in an
Six Philippine films were shown during the Festival, namely, (1) The world premier of the Philippines-Iceland co-production entitled “The Amazing Truth about Queen Raquela” directed by Olaf de Fleur Johannesson and starring Raquela Rios and Stefan Schaefer; (2) “Tribu” directed by Jim Libiran; (3) “Tirador” directed by Brillante Ma. Mendoza; (4) world premier of “The Muzzled Horse of an Engineer in Search of Mechanical Saddles” directed by Khavn de la Cruz; (5) a Philippine/Dutch/Swiss Co-production entitled “Balikbayan Box” directed by Mes de Guzman; and (6) “Years When I was a Child Outside” (Family Multi Channel) directed by John Torres. END
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entertaining way while also playing with audiences
expectations of form. The members of the Teddy Jury at the Berlinale 2008 are
Maria Cyber, Marcin Pietras, Yair Hochner, Vicci Ho, Meninapurtri Wismurti,
Basil Tsiokos, Melissa Pritchard, and Chirilov Mihai-Cristian.