MANILA, Philippines - The second Annual International Film Festival Manhattan (IFFM) held its opening night and awards ceremony last Nov. 8 at the Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Consulate in Manhattan, New York a day after a strong Nor’easter hit the city that is still recovering from the devastation brought about by Hurricane Sandy. The festival is ongoing until Nov. 15 with all film screenings at the Quad Cinemas in Manhattan.
IFFM founders Luis Pedron and Gerry Balasta expressed their heartfelt gratitude to everyone who helped them achieve their goal of showcasing the diverse films in all genres and scope to equal the diversity of New York.
Japanese actor Jacky Woo (photo, left) received the IFFM Global Achievement in Acting and the Festival Director Merit Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film Haruo (Spring Time Man) under the direction by Adolfo Alix Jr. During his acceptance speech, he praised the work ethics of the people in the film industry in the Philippines and cited it as the main reason why he loved doing films in the country. The Fil-Ams in the audience found him very endearing every time he would utter several sentences in Tagalog.
Meanwhile, HUBO productions CEO and resident director Will Fredo, received the Best Director award for the film The Caregiver which revolves around the story of Carlito Mariposa (Joshua Deocareza) who is nursing Agustin Vergeire (Marcus Madrigal), a “sepaktakraw” (competitive hacky sack) player who was badly injured in one of his crucial games. Confined in a very limited and shrunken world, the two developed an unlikely attraction that had Carlito thread an unexpected journey of self-discovery, shedding layers of skin along the way like a deadly viper. Last year’s IFFM Best Performer, beauty queen Liza Dino (right), is a supporting cast in the film and was alongside Fredo when he accepted the award.