Mikhael Red’s “Birdshot” earns special citation at Bangkok ASEAN Film Fest
BANGKOK, Thailand – One of the two Filipino films in the recently concluded Bangkok ASEAN Film festival earned a special citation during the awards ceremony held Monday, May 1, at Siam Paragon in Bangkok.
Mikhael Red’s “Birdshot” was given a “Special Mention”, an additional special award added by the jury on top of the “Best ASEAN Film” and “Jury Prize” awards.
“Birdshot,” tells the story of a 14-year old farm girl named Maya who mistakenly killed a critically endangered and protected Philippine eagle in a protected forest in the Philippines with her father’s shotgun.
Read: Two Filipino films to compete in ASEAN film festival in Bangkok
The jury said Birdshot “boasts an outstanding concept which is turned into a polished story comprising many heart-pounding shots.”
“Thematically, it tackles social problems of Philippine society while exploring the ambivalence of life and death,” they added. “But its greatest accomplishment is the balance of these elements through the viewpoint of family relationships.”
The group of Asian filmmakers and enthusiasts comprised the festival’s jury: Hong Hyosook, director of Asian Cinema Fund (ACF), Maggie Lee, chief of Asian film critic for Variety magazine and Tokyo International Film Festival consultant and Japanese director Koji Fukada, Jury Prize winner for the Un Certain Regard section at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.
“Birdshot” which stars newbie Mary Joy Apostol, Arnold Reyes, Ku Aquino, and “Heneral Luna” star John Arcilla also competed in Tokyo International Film Festival in Japan last year.
Now on its third year, Bangkok ASEAN Film Festival is organized to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Meanwhile, the film “Solo, Solitude” from Indonesia won Best ASEAN Film 2017. Pop Aye from Singapore and Thailand bagged the Jury Prize award.
The other Filipino film that competed in the festival is Bradley Liew’s “Singing in the Graveyards”.
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