BANGKOK | Philippine film “Birdshot” won a Special Mention award at the recently concluded Bangkok ASEAN Film Festival (BAFF) 2017.
“Birdshot” producer Pamela L. Reyes received the award from Permanent Secretary Kritsayapong Siri of Thailand’s Ministry of Culture during the closing ceremony on May 1.
Directed by Mikhail Red, “Birdshot” is a mystery thriller about a farm girl who wanders into the boundaries of a reservation forest.
The festival’s two major awards went to Indonesian political drama “Solo Solitude,” which was chosen as Best ASEAN Film and granted a cash prize of US$10,000 (Bt350,000), and Singapore-Thailand co-production “Pop-Aye”, which received the Jury Prize and a cash prize of US$5,000.
A total of 19 entries from the 10 ASEAN member countries joined the festival.The other Philippine entry was the Malaysian-Philippines co-production “Singing in Graveyards,” which starred Philippine rock legend Pepe Smith.
The festival was organized by the Thai Ministry of Culture and the Thai National Federation of Motion Pictures and Contents Association.
The public was able to watch the films free of charge at the Siam Paragon Cinema and SF World Cinema of Central World Mall from 26 April to 01 May 2017.
Entries included “Waris” from Brunei; “Turn Left Turn Right” and “Vikalcharety” from Cambodia; “Solo, Solitude” and “Senjakala Di Manado” from Indonesia; “Kwan Nang” and “Dearest Sister” from Laos; “Interchange” and “Temuan Takdir” from Malaysia; “By Coincidence” from Myanmar; “Pop Aye”, “A Yellow Bird” and “Ah Boys to Men 3: Frogmen” from Singapore; “By the Time It Gets Dark” and “In the Flesh” from Thailand; “Ho Chi Minh in Siam” and “Father and Son” from Vietnam.
Philippine Embassy Chargé d’ Affaires Mary Anne A. Padua attended the awards night and extended her personal congratulations to Reyes.
Embassy officials and personnel, including their families, were able to watch “Birdshot” during its scheduled screenings. According to them, it was the kind of film that lingered in one’s mind long after the reels have stopped and was replete with meaning regarding Philippine society and conditions.