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On The Road / Neriza Saito
Neriza Sarmiento - Saito's On the Road to
The OSAKA ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL 2022
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by Matsuo Basho (Translated by: R.H. Blyth)
The plum blossoms are the harbingers of spring, like emissaries that give an anticipatory sign that the most awaited cherry blossoms are on its way.
In Osaka, the 17th Osaka Asian Film Festival was held from March 10-20 with the largest number of entries, according to the Programming Director, Mr. Sozo Teruoka. Three of those were from the Philippines: BIG NIGHT directed by Jun Robles Lana, (in Competition); WHETHER THE WEATHER IS FINE directed by Carlo Francisco Manatad, (Spotlight) and YOU AND ME AND THE ENDING directed by Irene Emma Villamor.
At the Awarding Ceremony on March 20th, the Most Promising Talent Award went to Mr. Kasho Iizuka, Director of “The Angry Son“, a story of a Filipino-Japanese High School student in Ota City, Gunma prefecture, his life with his single parent Filipina mother and their heartwarming life together in Japan in spite of identity issues. I started to feature Filipino lms in my column in 2016 with the lm “Walang Forever“ starring Jericho Rosales and Jennylyn Mercado. We had the interview with Dan Villegas and Antoinette Jadaone at a room adjacent to the ABC Hall. Incidentally, also in the cast of “Walang Forever ” were the lead actors of “You and Me and the Ending“ Kim Molina and Jerald Napoles.
One of the most notable experiences I had was in 2017 at a press conference after the screening of IZA CALZADO’s lm “Bliss“. I asked her "How did your father, choreographer and director Lito Calzado influenced your life as an actress." IZA was in tears when she answered, saying that her father was very instrumental in her acting career and would be very happy in heaven to see her come to Osaka because they used to visit here in her childhood. Mr. Ben Wintle, who is now her husband told me later that my question meant so much to her.
On Awards night, Iza was awarded the Yakushi Pearl Award for Best Actress. That same night she called to say that she would give me the bouquet she received as a token of appreciation.
In 2018, on my way to watch the screening of Neo Manila, I chanced upon Mikhail Red, the son of Raymond Red, one of the country’s prominent lm directors who used to be one of our students at the PHSA in Makiling.
And in 2019, I went to interview the cast of “Tanabata’s Wife“ starring Mai Fanglayan and Miyuki Kamimura. It was really worth going there in spite of an injured foot after a bicycle accident.
And this year, 2022, after two years with the pandemic, I was able to watch a lm again. “You and Me and the Ending“ starring real life couples Kim Molina and Jerald Napoles.
As Mr. Tsuneyuki Kamikura, the Chairperson of the Executive Committee for the Promotion of Moving Image Culture, said that the OAFF will herald the arrival of spring and that the interaction of different Asian countries through the lm and cinema will continue to bloom through the years.
Neriza Sarmiento-Saito
Jeepney Press
