Pinoy Sunday, winner of the Industry Award for Narrative Feature at the 2010 Taipei International Film Festival and directed by Cannes winner Wi Ding Ho, will be the opening film of the 12th Cinemanila International Film Festival, which will run from December 1 to 5, 2010 in Quezon City, Philippines.
The award-winning film tells the story of Manuel (Epi Quizon) and Dado (Bayani Agbayani), two Filipino OFWs in Taiwan who discover a discarded sofa one Pinoy Sunday in Taipei. This transforms their normal Sunday into a tale of adventure, perseverance and self-discovery. The jury cited the director for his sense of humor and a lightness of touch in spite of the film's darker themes of difficult labor relations and emotional isolation. According to the jury, "This is a magic realistic film in which the yearnings for the homeland of the immigrant workers are expressed in a fantastic and imaginative way. A film with vivid and brilliant performances of the two actors."
Wi Ding Ho’s first visit to Manila was when he presented his short film "Respire" in the 2005 Cinemanila edition. He has since won awards for "Respire" and other short films, including a Cannes Film Festival prize for Best Short. When asked during Toronto International Film Festival why he was a Malaysian filmmaker living in Taiwan making stories about Filipinos living in Taipei, his answer was, "I was touched by the optimism and hope I saw in the Filipino OFWs in Taipei. I was curious when I saw all the Pinoys near the St. Christopher's Church. They looked so happy."
The director will attend the Philippine premiere of Pinoy Sunday on December 1, 2010. His Filipino actors, Bayani Agbayani, Epi Quezon, Alessandra De Rossi and Meryll Soriano are expected to attend the 12th Cinemanila Grand Opening, which is sponsored by the Cinemanila International Film Festival Foundation, the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Manila.
Cast & Crew:
Bayani Agbayani
Epi Quizon
Meryll Soriano
Alessandra de Rossi
