22 August 2013 - In celebration of the 46th Anniversary of ASEAN, the Philippine Embassy in Prague together with four other Embassies that comprise the ASEAN Prague Committee (APC) namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam will stage the 2nd ASEAN Film Festival from September 3 to 7 at the Czech capital’s historic Lucerna Cinema.
The Philippine Embassy will showcase the award-winning movie Himala by Philippine National Artist Ishmael Bernal on September 04 at 6:00 p.m., followed by a simple reception hosted by the Embassy.
Himala, which won the 2008 CNN Asia Pacific Screen Awards Viewers Choice Award for “Best Asia-Pacific Film of all Time” stars Nora Aunor as the false visionary Elsa whose portrayal in this film is considered by most Filipino critics to be the best in Aunor’s career. The film will be screened free of charge with both English and Czech subtitles.
Consul Juan Dayang said that the 2nd ASEAN Film Festival in Prague is an “opportunity to create cultural and social awareness of the ASEAN community and its members in the Czech Republic.” He added that “Southeast Asian films have much to offer in terms of creativity, entertainment, and cinematic quality that could be promoted to discerning Czech movie enthusiasts as well as encourage cooperation with Czech film makers who are known for their cinematography.”
Other films to be screened in the 2nd ASEAN Film Fest include Bunohan: Return to Murder from Malaysia, Floating Lives from Vietnam, The Raid from Indonesia, and Seven Something from Thailand.
The 2nd ASEAN Film Festival in Prague is made possible through the partnership of the APC Working Group, media partner Marek Polanecky and Ms. Zuzana Dibdiakova of Lucerna Cinema. Czech Director Václav Marhoul is the patron of the ASEAN Film Festival. END