The 2019 Pista ng Pelikulang
Pilipino ended just this Thursday, September 19 after a week of showcasing
another fresh crop of films from the country’s rising independent filmmakers.
One of the indie movies shown there, while not one of the official entries,
just received a great honor along with a greater responsibility. “Verdict” from
CenterStage Productions got a limited screening at the PPP, as it was already
an entry for two earlier international film festivals namely Toronto and Venice,
the latter of which awarded it a special jury prize. Next, “Verdict” is going
to the US as the country’s official bid for an Oscar Award.
CNN Philippines reports that the Film Academy of the Philippines
has designated “Verdict,” starring Max Eigenmann, Rene Durian, Jordhen Suan and
Kristoffer King, to be the official entry to the 92nd Academy Awards
early next year. There it will compete with other films from various countries
round the world to become an official nominee for Best International Feature
Film, formerly known as the Best Foreign-Language Film. The Academy made the
announcement Thursday, September 19, following a jury period with members of
the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and luminaries from the
industry itself.
The jury that selected “Verdict”
for Oscar contention was chaired by notable film director Jose Carreon, with a
panel of jurors containing names such as film and TV star Joel Torre alongside
FDCP chief Liza Diño. It should be recalled that Diño earlier this this month had petitioned
Congress to declare the month of September a commemorative month for the
Filipino film industry, in honor of the September 1919 release of the first known
silent movie produced in the country.
Directed by Raymund Ribay Gutierrez,
“Verdict” is a crime drama shining a spotlight on the problem of
criminal-related domestic violence in the Philippines. It tells of the trials
and tribulations of a battered housewife to an abusive petty crook, and how her
quest for justice and protection from the head of the household is fouled up by
a legal system that moves at glacial speed while she and her daughter live in
constant fear that the next violent battering could be their last. Brilliante
Mendoza, filmmaking mentor to Gutierrez, served as executive producer to the
movie, which Gutierrez says is based on a true story. He expressed his desire
for the film to show a serious side of life, one where things are not black and
white and the law does not always play fair.
The 92nd Academy
Awards, where “Verdict” will try its luck to become a nominee – and perhaps
winner – of Best International Feature Film, will be held at the Dolby Theatre
in Hollywood on February 9, 2020.
Image
courtesy of ABS-CBN News
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