And the Big Winner is…Gibraltar’s Indie Film “Wanted: Border”

And the Big Winner is…Gibraltar’s Indie Film “Wanted: Border”
By Rhea B. Peñaflor

Indeed, it is more than overwhelming that of the five digital movie finalists from the original 200 entries during the 5th Cinema One Originals Digital Movie Festival held in Dolphy Theater in ABS-CBN on November 15, 2009, Ilonggo writer-director Rey Defante Gibraltar’s dark comedy “Wanted: Border” emerges as the big winner when this indie film bagged 7 Trophies.

Wanted: Border lead starrer Rosanna Roces won the Best Actress award while writer-director Ray Defante Gibraltar won the Best Director award. Experimental film Wanted: Border also won the Best Film, Best Screenplay( Ray Defante Gibraltar & John Iremil Teodoro), Best Production Design (ALF Alacapa), Best Musical Score (Malek Lopez and ErWIN Romulo), and Best Cinematography (Ogi Sugatan) awards.

The other entries are Maximus & Minimus, a sweet comedy starring Carissa “Cai” Cortez, Baron Geisler, Mikel Campos, Liza Lorena and Malou Crisologo, and directed by Nap Jamir; Bala Bala, a mystery-fantasy starring Micah Munoz, Angel Jacob, Richard Quan, Jao Mapa and Glenda Resurreccion, and directed by Melvin Brito; Paano Ko Sasabihin, a romantic comedy starring Erich Gonzales and Enchong Dee, and directed by Richard Legaspi; and Si Maymay, Si Baning at Ang Asong Si Bobo, a children’s film starring Rio Locsin, Simon Ibarra and Gene Karley Largueza, and directed by Rommel Tolentino. Produced and mounted by Cinema One and the Creative Programs, Inc., through the annual Cinema One Originals project since 2005, the five-day digital film fest coincides with the 15th anniversary celebration of Cinema One.

Gibraltar shares during the press conference held in Red Steakhouse in Iloilo City this September that the biggest challenge which he had for this film is the production design since they can only work within the budget of P1M grant from Cinema One. He is thankful though for the tremendous support of the Ilonggos as well as his friends in Manila for indeed, Wanted: Border proves to be the BIG WINNER.