Cinemalaya 2009 finalist Engkwentro won two awards and US $100,000 in the recently concluded 66th Venice International Film Festival.

22-year-old Pepe Diokno, director of Engkwentro, received the Orizzonti Prize and the Lion of the Future – “Luigi De Laurentiis” Venice Award for a Debut Film. The Lion of the Future has a cash prize of US $100,000 or an estimated P4,850,000.00 to be divided equally between director and producer. Since Pepe Diokno is both director and producer of Enkwentro, he gets the amount in full.

Engkwentro stars Felix Roco, Zyrus Desamparado, Daniel Medrana, Eda Nolan, Bayang Barrios, Jim Libiran, and Celso Ad Castillo. The film is written, produced and directed by Pepe Diokno.

Brillante Mendoza‘s “Lola”, on the other hand, made it as one of the 25 competing films for the prestigious Golden Lion award. All 25 films in competition premiered in the prestigious festival in Italy. The last Filipino film to compete for the Golden Lion was Mike de Leon‘s Sister Stella L in 1984.

The Venice International Film Festival is considered the oldest in the world.

66th Venice Film Festival Winners:

Golden Lion for best film:
Lebanon by Samuel MAOZ (Israel, France, Germany)

Silver Lion for best director:
Shirin NESHAT for the film Zanan Bedone Mardan (Women Without Men) (Germany, Austria, France)

Special Jury Prize:
Soul Kitchen by Fatih AKIN (Germany)

Coppa Volpi for Best Actor:
Colin FIRTH in the film A Single Man by Tom FORD (USA)

Coppa Volpi for Best Actress:
Ksenia RAPPOPORT in the film La doppia ora by Giuseppe CAPOTONDI (Italy)

“Marcello Mastroianni” Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress:
Jasmine TRINCAin the film Il grande sogno by Michele PLACIDO (Italy)

“Osella” for Best Technical Contribution:
Sylvie OLIVÉ for the film Mr. Nobody by Jaco VAN DORMAEL (France)

“Osella” for Best Screenplay:
Todd SOLONDZ for the film Life during Wartime by Todd SOLONDZ (USA)

Orizzonti (New Horizons)

Orizzonti Prize Winner:
Engkwentro by Pepe Diokno (Philippines)

Orizzonti Prize for Best documentary:
1428 by DU Haibin (China)

Special Mention:
Aadmi ki aurat aur anya kahaniya (The Man’s Woman and Other Stories) by Amit Dutta (India)

“Luigi De Laurentiis” Award for a Debut Film

Lion of the Future – “Luigi De Laurentiis” Venice Award for a Debut Film to Engkwentro by Pepe DIOKNO (Philippines) – ORIZZONTI
as well as a prize of 100,000 USD, donated by Filmauro, to be divided equally between director and producer.