Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz wins top prize in Venice Film Festival
Renowned Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz has once again made the country proud as his latest work, Ang Babaeng Humayo (The Woman Who Left), won the top prize in the 73rd Festival del Cinema di Venezia.
GOLDEN LION. Lav Diaz holds his Golden Lion award for “Ang Babaeng Humayo.” Image grabbed from mashable.com
Diaz’s four-hour long film, which starred a top ABS-CBN head and veteran actress Charo Santos-Concio, won the Golden Lion, which is the highest honor given at the said film festival.
In his acceptance speech, Diaz thanked those involved in making the film possible, especially his lead actors Santos-Concio and John Lloyd Cruz. “This is for my country, for the Filipino people, for our struggle, and for the struggle of humanity, thank you so much,” he said.
As described in an ABS-CBN news article, the film tells a story of Horacia, “a school teacher who spent 30 years in a correctional facility for a crime she did not commit.”
Diaz has won prizes various prestigious international film festivals such as in Berlin, Cannes, and Venice. Some of his works include Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis, Mula sa Kung Ano ang Noon, and Fragment.
Source: Inquirer.net, Rappler, ABS-CBN News
