WANTED: BORDER wins SEVEN TROPHIES

WANTED: BORDER wins seven trophies in the fifth Cinema One Originals Awards held last November 15, at the Dolphy Theater in ABS-CBN.

The film won Best Film, Best Screenplay and Best Director, for writer-director Ray Defante Gibraltar. When Direk Ray accepted his first trophy, he spoke in Hiligaynon (native tongue of Iloilo where the film was shot), and during his second speech, he spoke in Tagalog. Gibraltar thanked his mother from whom he draws inspiration, his staff, the stars and crew of Wanted: Border, his supporters in Iloilo, and everyone who helped him turn his film into reality.

Award-winning writer Ricky Lee and Cinema One head Ronald Arguelles presented the award for Best Film. According to the jury, Wanted: Border won for its "malikhaing pagsasanib ng mga yugto ng buhay ng isang aswang" and how it captures the "nakaraang marahas na pagdanas ng incest, torture sa panahon ng diktaturya, at ang hindi na maibabalik na pagtatangkang mamuhay ng tahimik sa kasalukuyan."

The film's star, Rosanna Roces received her second Best Actress Award for playing Mama Saleng, a flesh-eating aswang who kills her boarders, cooks the mutilated flesh, and later on serves the meat in her Iloilo eatery. As she prepared her speech, Osang jokingly asked the crowd if she could render a long speech, since it had been many years since she accepted her last award. Rosanna was last honored by Gawad Urian as Best Actress for the 2001 film La Vida Rosa.

Wanted: Border also received awards for Best Production Design (Al Alacapa, Winston Lazaro and Allan Hilado); Best Music (Malik Lopez and Eric Romulo), and Best Cinematography (Ogi Sugatan).

Check out the full article & the rest of the FESTIVAL WINNERS HERE.