#gerry gracio

Cinemalaya 2009

"Astig" Screenplay: Jerry B. Gracio * Direction: GB Sampedro * Executive Producers: Boy Abunda & Boy So “Astig,” written by multi-awarded writer Jerry B. Gracio, and directed by GB Sampedro, is an episodic tale of four young men whose stories parallel and contrast with the landmarks and various images of Manila. It tells the story of Ariel of CM Recto (DENNIS TRILLO), a conman who has to leave his girlfriend (GLAIZA DE CASTRO) upon learning that he is in love with her; Boy of Oroquieta (EDGAR ALLAN GUZMAN), an expectant young father who has to sell his body to pay his wife's hospital bill; Ronald of Escolta (ARNOLD REYES), a Chinese mestizo who is coming to grips with his identity; and Baste of Arranque (SID LUCERO), an overly-protective son of an OFW who has to avenge his sister. The film tells the stories of the tough guys of Manila and their resolve to survive the dirt and filth of the “Distinguished and Ever Loyal City .” (AR)

The Iraqi-Kurdish drama “Kick Off,” by Shawkat Amin Korki, shared the New Currents Award with the South Korean film “I’m In Trouble,” by So Sang-min. The award, given to first-time and second-time film directors, also came with a cash prize of $30,000. “Kick Off,” a story of a group people living in an illegal multi-ethnic settlement that tries to stage a friendly soccer match under obstacle-strewn conditions, also bagged the festival’s Best Movie honor in a separate award handed by the International Federation of Film Critics. For the first time this year, the PIFF handed over a Flash Forward Award to debuting director Zaida Bergoth of Finland for the family drama “Last Cowboy Standing.” The award also came with a $20,000 cash prize. The Sonje Award for Short Films went to Kim Jae-won’s “Somewhere Unreached” (Korea) and Basil Vassili Mironer’s “Rare Fish” (Singapore, Indonesia); the PIFF Mecenat Award for Documentaries to Kwon Woo-jung’s “Earth’s Woman” (Korea) and Saba Dewan’s “The Other Song” (India); the NETPAC Award to Park Chan-ok’s “Paju” (Korea); and the KNN Movie Award to Jiang Wenli’s “Lan” (China).

. The “Panoramic” or main section will include movies from the Philippines, China, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Iran, Kazakhstan, Thailand and Vietnam. The Italian festival aims to create “a corner of Asia in the heart of Rome,” the site added. “Astig”, by first-time full-length filmmaker GB Sampedro, brought home a special citation in the recently concluded 14th Pusan International Film Festival from a jury chaired by French filmmaker Jean Jacques Beneix. For the same movie, Sampedro won Best Director in the 5th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival last July. Marinel R. Cruz