South Korean actress Lee Song Lee was recently in Taguig, Metro Manila, for the Philippine premiere of "Walking Street" at Sinag Maynila Film Festival 2017. She was with the film's director Lee Sang Woo and Cannes winner Brillante Mendoza, the festival director.
The awards night of the film festival was held at the Samsung Hall, SM Aura, on March 12, Sunday. Song Lee and Sang Woo were among those who presented the awards onstage.
Right after the awards night, "Walking Street" was screened as the closing film of Sinag Maynila Film Festival 2017. Among those who attended the awards night and the screening of the South Korean film were Mendoza's protégés Daniel Palacio, Nimrod Sarmiento and Conan Altatis.
"Tu Pug Imatuy" (The Right to Kill) was the Best Film of Sinag Maynila 2017. Other awardees from the film were Arbi Barbarona as Best Director, Malona Sulatan as Best Actress, Barbarona for Best Music, Barbarona and Bryan Jimenez for Best Cinematography and Arnel Mardoquio for Best Screenplay.
"Bhoy Intsik" and "Beyond the Block" won the Sinag Box Office and SM People's Choice awards, respectively. "Hango" was Best Documentary while "Aliens Ata" was Best Short Film.
"Kristo" actors Julio Diaz and Kristofer King won Best Supporting Performance and Best Actor awards, respectively. The latter tied with "Bhoy Intsik" actor Raymond Francisco.
Before "Kristo," Diaz and King co-starred in Mendoza's Cannes films "Service" and "Ma' Rosa." Albert Michael Idioma won Best Sound, James Arvin Rosendal won Best Production Design and Ma' Rosa" editor Diego Marx Dobles won Best Editing for "Kristo." It was Song Lee who presented Dobles's award.
Song Lee's fellow main cast members in "Walking Street" are Baek Sung Hyun and Lee Si Gang. Baek was one of the co-stars of Park Shin Hye in the 2016 drama series "Doctor Crush" while Si Gang is a former member of the K-Pop boy band KINO.
Eight years before the release of "Walking Street," Sang Woo directed a film titled "Tropical Manila," which starred Kim Su Nam, Jerald de Vera, Maries Chanel Rebucas and Marife Necesito. The director, who has lived in the Philippines several times, is a UC Berkeley graduate.
Here is a video of Sang Woo and Song Lee presenting awards at Sinag Maynila 2017: