Team ‘Norte’ at the Indie Spirit Awards

WITH Rinko Kikuchi

ARCHIE Alemania scores selfie with best actress Julianne Moore. PHOTOS COURTESY OF ARCHIE ALERMANIA

“Awesome,” Filipino actor Archie Alemania described the experience of attending the 30th Film Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, California, on Feb. 21. His film, Lav Diaz’s “Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan” was nominated for best international film.

Archie and fellow actor Sid Lucero, plus Lav and producer Moira Lang, got to hobnob with Hollywood A-listers.

Via e-mail, Archie told the Inquirer: “Even though we didn’t win, we are proud to have represented the Philippines and walked among the stars.” (Pawel Pawlikowski’s “Ida” of Poland won.)

Archie admitted that he “targeted” Emma Stone and Scarlett Johansson for souvenir snapshots, “but they were always busy.”

He recalled that Benicio Del Toro and Zach Galifianakis declined photo-ops and a bodyguard kept Oprah Winfrey away from snapshot seekers. He almost failed with Winfrey’s “Selma” costar and best actor nominee David Oyelowo, Archie said, but he persisted until Oyelowo agreed.

WITH DAVID Oyelowo

WITH Rene Russo

FILIPINOS (from left) Sid Lucero, Lav Diaz and Archie Alemania

He scored the Filipino contingent’s biggest selfie, with best actress winner Julianne Moore (“Still Alice”). “She was friendly,” Archie said, “so were Rene Russo (‘Nightcrawler’) and Rinko Kikuchi (‘Pacific Rim’).” Bayani San Diego Jr.