Filipino film ‘Debosyon’ wins award in Toronto Film Festival

Photo: Facebook Page of “Debosyon”

A Filipino film won Honorable Mention for Outstanding International Feature at the ReelWorld Film Festival in Toronto, Canada.

Alvin Yapan’s “Debosyon”, an entry in the New Breed section of the 2013 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, despite not winning any award in Cinemalaya and Young Critics Circle Award, wowed the international festival with its enigmatic love story between a young man (Paulo Avelino) and a mysterious woman (Mara Lopez) set at the foot of the Mayon Volcano.

“The film was recognized by ReelWorld’s festival jury for the artistic risks that [the film] took and creative sure-handedness in execution,” Yapan said.

Variety magazine’s Maggie Lee also named “Debosyon” as one of the “Top 10 of Under the Radar Asian films for its erotic rhapsody on Catholic & Pinoy pagan iconography.”

Yapan’s film is also one of the Philippines’ five entries in the ongoing 30th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival which opened on Thursday, May 1, and will run until May 11.

Borgy Torre’s “Kabisera,” Siege Ledesma’s “Shift,” Miko Livelo’s “Blue Bustamante” and Mikhail Red’s “Rekorder” were the other four entries.