Manila: Dramatic actor John Lloyd Cruz, who is one of three recipients of the Star Asia award to be given during the 15th New York Asian Film Festival, is the first Filipino, and Southeast Asian actor to receive the honor.
The New York Asian Film Festival will be held in the United States from June 22 to July 5.
He joins South Korea’s Lee Byung-hun and Hong Kong’s Miriam Yeung in this year’s honor roll, China Post reported.
Another Filipino, teen actress Therese Malvar will receive the Screen International Rising Star Asia award, also to be awarded during the fest.
Cruz and Malvar are expected to attend the festival for the screenings of their films — Erik Matti’s “Honor Thy Father” and Ralston Jover’s “Hamog,” respectively.
Also gracing the fest are cast members of Mario Cornejo’s “Apocalypse Child”: Sid Lucero, Annicka Dolonius and Gwen Zamora, said the news portal.
Programmer Stephen Cremin reportedly said that the festival leaving no stone unturned to promote and highlight Philippine cinema.
“We set out this year to champion a much broader range of Asian cinema,” Samuel Jamier, fest executive director was quoted as saying by China Post. “For example, we are particularly excited by a new breed of noir film, rooted in social issues, that is emerging in both China and Southeast Asia. With these and other selections in the lineup, we want to show that Asian films are still exploring new directions for world cinema.”
