A US-based arts and culture magazine has listed the Philippines' official Oscar entry "Bwakaw" as one of this year's "50 Best Undistributed Films of 2012" in a yearend survey of more than 120 film critics, journalists, film section editors, and past and present contributors worldwide.
Published by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, Film Comment magazine annually releases the most comprehensive review of the year in film. Joining the film by Jun Robles Lana in the top five films that made appearances at film festivals or special screenings worldwide, but remain undistributed, are Joachim Lafosse's "Our Children," Song Fang's "Memories Look at Me," Alan Berliner's "First Cousin Once Removed," and Ying Liang's "When Night Falls."
Last October, "Bwakaw" was the only Asian film to make it to the prestigious list of TIME magazine's "10 Films to Watch" at the 50th New York Film Festival, one of the world's oldest and most anticipated film festivals organized by the Film Society of Lincoln Center.
Following its selection to the 8th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival’s Directors’ Showcase category, "Bwakaw" has made rounds in various foreign film festivals such as in New York, Toronto, Hawaii and Tokyo where it garnered rave reviews from international film critics.
The bid of the film starring legendary actor Eddie Garcia to become the first ever Filipino film to be nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards gets a strong boost as it continues to get a favorable standing in the leading Oscar prediction site AwardsCircuit.com.
Meanwhile, the 83-year-old Garcia won Best Actor for his role in "Bwakaw" at the Asia Pacific Film Festival held in Macau last Saturday (December 15). His powerful portrayal of a grumpy, old, gay man who comes out late in life has been gaining international attention that fuels the movie's hope to take home an Oscar. Several critics, including Joey Magidson of AwardsCircuit.com and Larry Rohter of The New York Times, have even echoed comparison of Garcia to veteran Hollywood actor Clint Eastwood.
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