Filipino director Lav Diaz wins the Golden Lion award at the 2016 Venice FIlm Festival.
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Philippine director Lav Diaz’s almost four-hour black and white revenge drama Ang Babaeng Humayo (The Woman Who Left) has won the Golden Lion for best film at the 73nd Venice Film Festival. In the photo, Lav attends the Premiere of his winning movie “Ang Babaeng Humayo” (The Woman Who Left) presented in competition at the 73rd Venice Film Festival on September 9, 2016 at Venice Lido.
Together with 54 other films, Ang Babaeng Humayo – the sole entry from Asia – is competing for the festival’s top prize, the Golden Lion.
“My head is spinning right now, this is unbelievable”, Lav started his acceptance speech.
Ang Babaeng Humayo stars Michael de Mesa, John Lloyd Cruz, Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino, Nonie Buencamino, Marj Lorico, Mayen Estanero, Romelyn Sale, Lao Rodriguez, Jean Judith Javier, Mae Paner and Kakai Bautista.
“It looks lovely”, he said about his trophy.
The 19th film by Filipino director Lav Diaz, 57, it focuses on the struggle of a schoolteacher to reintegrate into society after 30 years in prison for a murder she didn’t commit.
The 228-minute drama tells the story of a former schoolteacher who was wrongly convicted and put behind bars for 30 years, and then, shocked by the reality of her homeland after leaving prison, made a decision to take revenge.
The movie clocks in at 228 minutes (a little over 3 hours).
Hele, starring Piolo Pascual and John Lloyd Cruz, won the Silver Bear award at the 2016 Berlin Film Festival. Meanwhile in Canada, an impressive slate of films is also being unveiled at the 41st Toronto film festival, which ends next Sunday.
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The prize for best actor went to the Argentinian Oscar Martinez for his role in the comedy “El Ciudadano Ilustre” (“The Distinguished Citizen”), where he depicts a cynical Nobel-prize winning author who returns to his hometown for the first time after 40 years.
