Angeli Bayani (right) and Koh Jia Ler in a scene from 'Ilo Ilo'.
More than one film involving Filipino characters and culture will vie for the five nominations in the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 2014 American Academy Awards.
In addition to “Transit”, the official Philippine entry, Singapore’s “Ilo Ilo” and the United Kingdom’s “Metro Manila” have also been submitted to the Oscars by their respective countries.
As reported by the Singapore Strait Times last September 5, “Ilo Ilo”, Anthony Chen’s acclaimed feature film debut that won the prestigious Camera d’Or at Cannes International Film Festival last May, was chosen by an advisory committee of the Singapore Film Commission.
A film about a Filipina maid from Iloilo (played by Angeli Bayani) and the Singapore family that employed her was chosen for “for its excellence in execution and performance, accentuated by a thought-provoking storyline” according to Yeo Chun Cheng of the Singapore Film Commission.
The Strait Times also reported that “Ilo Ilo” was a certified box office hit in Singapore during the opening weekend of its recent theatrical run. A source who spoke on condition of anonymity told InterAksyon that the film will also have a commercial run in the Philippines soon.
Jake Macapagal and Althea Vega play a provincial couple who moves to the big city with their two children in 'Metro Manila'.
Also as reported by The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday, British filmmaker Sean Ellis also earned his country’s nod for the Oscars Best Foreign Language race for his film, “Metro Manila”.
The story of a man (played by Jake Macapagal) who left an impoverished life in the province with his family to seek greener pastures in the big city only to be greeted by more misfortunes, “Metro Manila” was sent to the Oscars by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), the organization appointed by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in the US to determine the UK’s entry for the Oscars.
“Metro Manila” won the World Cinema audience award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and is scheduled to open in the UK on September 20. The film is also slated to open next month in the Philippines.
Hannah Espia’s OFW drama “Transit” was selected as official Philippine entry to the Oscars by a seven-man special committee of the Film Academy of the Philippines.
FAP special committee chairman Peque Gallaga said that many aspects of shortlisted films for the Philippine Oscar entry were taken into consideration.
“In the end, the committee voted 5 to 2 in favor of ‘Transit’,” he told InterAksyon.
Voting for the foreign language nomination begins on December 27 while the final Academy award nominations will be officially announced January 16, 2014.
Besides ‘Transit’, 2 more films about Filipinos vie for best foreign film Oscar
Source: InterAksyon.com (September 20, 2013 at 01:21PM)
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