Last August 8, PEP reported that the indie film Selda (international
title: The Inmate) is the first Filipino film to compete in the 32nd
Montreal World Film Festival in Canada.
Selda is competing for the Golden Alexander award, which is given each year by a seven-member international jury accompanied by a 37,000 Euro cash prize, the Special Jury Award-Silver Alexander (accompanied by 22,000 Euro cash prize), as well as awards for Best Direction, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Artistic Achievement.
The first seven of Thessaloniki's 14-film competition line up with the European
premieres of three Asian films among highlights scheduled for its 49th edition.
The movies getting their European bows are prison drama The Inmate, by
Filipino directors Ellen Ramos and Paolo Villaluna; Korean director Kim
Dong-joo's A Broom Becomes a Goldfish, about a poor, middle-aged man's
descent into madness; and coming-of-age film Winds of September by
Taiwanese director Tom Shu-yu Lin.
The competition, which is exclusively for first and second films, will also
show anti-war opus Three Blind Mice, the second film of Australian
newcomer Matthew Newton; Argentinean director Celina Murga's sophomore study of
teenage life, One Week Alone; and The Hourglass, Hungarian
director Szabolcs Tolnai's adaptation of Danilo Kis' autobiographical trilogy
about a train inspector in war-torn central Europe of the 1970s. This year's
edition will also feature Ordinary Boys, the debut of Spain's Daniel
Hernandez, set in an impoverished Muslim neighborhood.
Festival director Despina Mouzaki said programming had been influenced by last
year's success of The Red Awn by Chinese director Shangjun Cai, which
won the festival's top prize, the Golden Alexander award.
Selda stars Ara Mina, Sid Lucero, and Emilio Garcia. It is represented
by Ignatius Films Canada.