Filipino Anthony Sanchez invited as a juror in the Munich Filmfest Competition

The original Cinema One digital movie "Huling Balyang Ng Buhi" (The Woven Stories of The Other) by Filipino filmmaker Sherad Anthony Sanchez made waves in film festivals in Germany and France, receiving top awards.

"Huling Balyang Ng Buhi" bagged the One Future Prize award at the Munich Film Festival in Germany as well as the Prix Premiere or The First Film Prize Award in the First Film and Sound Competition at the recent 18th FID (Festival International du Film) or the Marseille Documentary Film Festival in France.

Sanchez' digital movie competed with over a hundred entries at the Munich Film Festival Competitio. Seven jurors from Europe, Asia, USA and South America shortlisted the entries to twenty-five (25).

This selection was further trimmed to just five nominees, among which "Huling Balyan ng Buhi" was included.

The jurors were so impressed by Sanchez' digital movie that at for his digital movie that he was reportedly invited to next year’s competition as a jury member. He is the first Filipino to be a juror in the Munich Filmfest Competition and also the youngest.

In France, "Huling Balyang Ng Buhi" won the Prix Premiere or The First Film Prize Award in the First Film and Sound Competition at the recent 18th FID (Festival International du Film) or the Marseille Documentary Film Festival in France.

In the Philippines, "Huling Balyang Ng Buhi" recently won nominations for Best Picture and Best Director at the 30th Gawad Urian to be held this August.

"Huling Balyang Ng Buhi" tells the story of communist rebels, soldiers, baylans (village shaman or healer), and villagers in Arakan Valley, North Cotabato and what happens when their lives intersect.

The cast of this digital movie from Davao features Marilyn Roque (who plays the first balyan or shaman), Ronald Arguelles (a rebel who questions the ideology behind his struggle) and the people of Arakan Valley, North Cotabato.

Huling Balyan Ng Buhi was one of the 7 winning independent films in last year’s Second Annual Cinema One Originals of Cinema One, the Philippines’ premiere movie cable channel and one of the strongest channels of CPI (Creative Programs, Inc.), a subsidiary of ABS-CBN.

With Cinema One set to celebrate and feature select classic Filipino movies in its 2nd Annual Kool Pinoy Klassiks at the SM Megamall, Huling Balyan ng Buhi will also be one of the main feature films. It will also run in the 2007 Cinemalaya Film Festival this month.

Huling Balyan ng Buhi (The Woven Stories of the Other) was produced in 2006 by CPI under the Cinema One Originals project.
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