RP film bags gold in Montreal fest

"Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros," the Philippines’ entry to the First Films World Competition at the 29th Montreal World Film Festival in Canada, bagged first place and was awarded the Golden Zenith award.

"Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros" bested 15 entries in the First Films World Competition. The Silver Zenith award went to "Truth or Dare" (Germany) by Jan Martin Scharf and Arne Nolting. The Bronze Zenith went to "London" (USA) by Hunter Richards and starring Jessica Biel and Leelee Sobieski.

The First Films World Competition of the 29th Montreal World Film Festival gives an opportunity for selected first feature films to be recognized.

Written by Michiko Yamamoto (who also wrote "Magnifico"), directed by Aureaus Solito and produced by Raymond Lee, "Ang Pagdadalaga..." won three awards in the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival and Competition held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines last July. It won awards for Best Production Design, a special citation for best performance of an actor by Nathan Lopez who played the lead role, and a special jury prize.

"Ang Pagdadalaga..." tells the coming-of-age story of young Maxi whose unquestioning devotion to his family of small-time criminals in a Manila slum is undermined when he strikes up a friendship with a principled young policeman.

There were strong performances from the cast that included Soliman Cruz and Bodjie Pacua, former mainstays of the defunct children’s show "Batibot."

The film’s soundtrack was written by rock legend Pepe Smith, who also appears in a bit role as an eccentric neighborhood piano player. Photography was by Nap Jamir.

The 29th Montreal World Film Festival was held Aug. 26 to Sept. 5, 2005 in Montreal, Canada. The program of the festival offered a broad selection of films from five continents. Over 300 films from 70 countries were screened in the festival.

The goal of the Montreal World Film Festival (or Montreal International Film Festival) is to encourage cultural diversity and understanding between nations, to foster the cinema of all continents by stimulating the development of quality cinema, to promote filmmakers and innovative works, to discover and encourage new talent and to promote meetings between cinema professionals from around the world.

The Montreal World Film Festival is divided into the following sections: World Competition, First Films World Competition, Hors Concours (World Greats, Out of Competition), Focus on World Cinema, Documentaries of the World, Tributes, Cinema Under the Stars and the Canadian Student Film Festival.