It was no surprise that independent films ruled the 35th Gawad Urian awards rites held at the AFP Theater on Wednesday.
That has been the case for the last five years or so as the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino—the organization of respected film critics and academicians that gives out the Urian every year—has been no slouch at recognizing that excellence in filmmaking has largely departed the mainstream.
But it was a bit of a surprise that “Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa” dominated the honor roll, besting other standouts from last year’s Cinemalaya, such as “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank”, “Busong”, “Niño”, and “Amok”.
Alvin Yapan’s cinematic celebration of dance, poetry, and music ran away with seven of the 12 major awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Paulo Avelino), and Best Supporting Actress (Jean Garcia).
The night also belonged to Maja Salvador, who gave an emotional speech after being named Best Actress for her work in “Thelma”, also an indie.
“Ganito pala ang nararamdaman. Sampung taon na ako sa industriya. Ngayon lang ako nanalo ng Best Actress award,” she said with tears streaming down her face.
The ceremonies were aired on Saturday night on Cinema One, with replays on June 17 at 4pm and June 24 at 10pm.
source: interaksyon.com
