Davao-made movie “Imburnal” wins in Korean filmfest

DAVAO CITY, May 12 — A Davao-made indie movie “Imburnal” won two major awards in the recently concluded 10th Jeonju International Film Festival (IFF) in Korea.

The 2008 film directed by Davaoeño Sherad Anthony Sanchez with an ensemble of first-time Davaoeño actors won both the Woosuk and Netpac awards in the filmfest considered to be South Korea’s second largest after Pusan IFF.

The nine-day filmfest was held from April 30 to May 8, featuring 200 films from 42 countries.

A four-hour film depicting the tale of manhood of two boys hanging out in the sewers of Punta Dumalag in Barangay Matina Aplaya, this city, “Imburnal” bested 12 other films in the international category.

“It’s a great honor to win the top prizes,” Sanchez said upon his arrival in Davao from Korea. “I’m so happy.”

“Imburnal” is the first Filipino to win the Woosuk Award which previous winners include Thailander multi-award winning director Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Mysterious Object At Noon) who won a jury prize in Cannes Film Festival in 2004.

It is the second Filipino to win NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) award in Jeonju after Brillante Mendoza’s Masahista (The Masseur).

The Woosuk award, which comes with a cash prize of 10,000 dollars, is given to the film that contributes to widen the scope and depth in contemporary cinema.

According to the official website of the Jeonju IFF, the jury chose Sherad’s work because “it fulfills the progressive spirit of the Jeonju International Film Festival: it is an innovative, experimental, even miraculous work, a unique blend of documentary and fiction, which returns us to the fundamental question of the past and the future: what is cinema?”

Sanchez’s film also received the Netpac award for the “art of showing hopelessness in the youth of rural Philippines using a tone and visuals alternating in a duality that are at times playful and often heartbreaking.”

It’s the first set of international awards won by “Imburnal” which already harvested awards in the independent film festivals in the Philippines.

It won the Lino Brocka grand prize at the digital local category in the 10th Cinemanila International Film Festival, and won the Best Picture, Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography awards in the 2008 Cinema One Originals Digital Film Festival.

Sanchez said some of the Jeonju filmfest judges are his influences, and for them to judge his film is unbelievable. Among the judges he cited is the Australian film critic-journalist Adrian Martin.

“I have been reading his material since I was in college,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez said he shared his winning to Davao.

Unfortunately, the director said he is hesitant to show “Imburnal” in Davao theaters.

Rejected thrice by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) for its “objectionable presentation” of poverty, the complete version of “Imburnal” could not be seen in the Philippines.

The censored version was released during the Cinema One festival and the Cinemarehiyon festival.

Sanchez said they are pushing for the release of the uncut version which includes a number of nudity scenes.

Imburnal’s cast includes Davao non-actors Brian Monterola, Allen Lumanog, Lawrence Garrido, Elvis Zerna, Dianne Zipagan, Maricel Rosello, Carmela de Guzman, Reyson Yap and Jelieta Mariveles-Ruca.

It was also shown during the Hong Kong International Film Festival last April.

The Korean honor was not the first international award received by Sanchez. In 2007, he won the Best First Work at the Marseille Festival of Documentary Film and the One Future Prize at the Munich Film Festival for his first full-length indie flick Ang Huling Balyan ng Buhi which was also made in Davao.

Buhi was also the top winner in the 2006 Cinema One Originals Digital Film Festival, winning the Best Picture and Best Director, among others. (PNA) LOR/Anthony S. Allada/lvp

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