MANILA, Philippines—Award-winning Filipino director Brillante Mendoza's film "Lola" will compete at the 24th Fribourg International Film Festival (FIFF) which will be held at the Swiss canton of Fribourg next March 13-20, the Philippine embassy in Berne said Saturday.

In a report to the home office, the embassy noted Mendoza was the grand winner in the Best Director category in the 2009 Cannes International Film Festival and served as a member of the jury for the Filmmakers of the Film Competition for the 62nd Film Festival Locarno in 2009.

Mendoza first won an international award in Locarno with his film "Masahista," which won the Golden Leopard in the Video Competition in 2005.

The city of Fribourg is hosting the festival to promote quality and selected films from Asia, Africa and Latin America. The films selected by the FIFF engage audiences with images, stories and ideas that may not be conformist for a Swiss public.

The embassy said that Mendoza will be in Fribourg on March 14 on the day of the premier showing of his film "Lola" at the Cap Cine 5 at the Manor in Fribourg. 

Philippine Ambassador to Switzerland Maria Theresa P. Lazaro said that the decision of the organizers of the 24th FIFF to show the film is “a recognition of the Filipino's world-class artistry in film-making.”