Lav Diaz wins a second Venice filmfest award
Written by Ms. Confuse on Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Director Lav Diaz added another feather to his cap after his latest film Melancholia won the Best Film Award in the Orizzonti Section of the 65th Venice International Film Festival.
According to a report from Venice, the decision of the Orizzonti Jury (composed of Chantal, president; Nicole Brenez, Barbara Cupisti, Jose Luis Guerin, and Veiko Ounpuu) was unanimous.
The three runners-up are:
- Below Sea Level by Gianfranco Rosi (Italy/USA), Doc Prize;
- Un Lac by Philippe Grandrieux (France), Special Mention; and
- Wo Men (We) by Huang Wenhai (China/Switzerland), also Special Mention.
No Filipino film competed for the Golden Lion, the top prize in the Main Section which was won by The Wrestler (USA), directed by Darren Aronofsky; and Russia’s Paper Soldier, directed by Aleksey German Jr., placing second (Silver Lion).
Chosen as closing film of the filmfest, Melancholia, which runs for almost eight hours and shot in various places in the Philippines, tries to explore the question of why there’s “so much sadness and so much madness” in this world, in the end finding no answer at all.
It stars Angeli Bayani, Perry Dizon, Roeder Camanag, Raul Arellano, Dante Perez, Malaya and Soliman Cruz.
It’s the second time for Diaz to have won an award at the VIFF. Last year, he won a Special Mention award for his nine-hour film Kagadanan Sa Banwaan Ning Mga Engkanto (Death in the Land of Enkantos) which depicts the death and desolation of the Bicol region after a killer typhoon.
The Venice International Film Festival was initially known as D Mostra Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica di Venezia.
Born in 1958 in Datu Paglas, Maguindanao, an island in Mindanao, Diaz is recognized as “the ideological father of the New Philippine Film Movement,” noted for making films that run for hours, also including Batang West Side (2002), Ebolusyon ng Isang Pamilyang Pilipino (2005) and Heremias subtitled Ikalawang Alkat: Ang Alamat ng Prinsesang Bayawak (2006).
Source : Good News Pilipinas
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