This Filipino filmmaker won best director at a London film fest

While John Arcilla and Janice de Belen recently won global accolades for their acting prowess, another Filipino in the film industry also gained an international award. Carlos Francisco Manatad was awarded best director at the 2021 London East Asia Film Festival (LEAFF) for his film Kun Maupay Man It Panahon (Whether The Weather Is Fine), which marks his feature directorial debut.

A statement on LEAFF’s website said that the jury was impressed over Manatad’s film that shows a “blend of the fantastical with the painfully true, and the delicate with the epic.” It reads, ‘We particularly commend this director on an extraordinary accomplished debut feature, one to which he has a deep personal connection.’

Apart from the award that the filmmaker landed, his film also bagged a special award called Cinema e Gioventù Prize at the 74th Locarno Film Festival, where it first premiered earlier in August. Meanwhile, the film recently had its second international screening at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September.

ICYMI: Carlo Francisco Manatad wins Best Director for Kun Maupay Man It Panahon (Whether the Weather is Fine), which the jury describes as "a remarkable, personal, and extraordinary debut feature," at #LEAFF2021!#KunMaupayManItPanahon#WhetherTheWeatherIsFine pic.twitter.com/xXMay85nam

— Kun Maupay Man It Panahon (@theweatherfilm) November 2, 2021

Kun Maupay Man It Panahon follows three characters who must decide whether to stay home or escape to Manila after a devastating typhoon. The film deals with “destruction, loss, and the struggle to find a home” after Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) hit the Philippines in 2013.

Manatad’s film includes known cast members such as Daniel Padilla, Charo Santos-Concio, and newcomer Rans Rifol, among others. It had several international screenings in countries like Switzerland, Mexico, Chicago, Toronto, and it will soon premiere at Singapore’s film fest.

Banner: (L) Twitter/theweatherfilm | (R) festivalregard.com

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Source: we the pvblic