Bid for Oscar continues

UGE TIMES TWO: Eugene Domingo as poverty-stricken mom and as manic indie superstar in “Septic Tank.”

“We still have a long way to go,” said director Marlon Rivera about his film, “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank” which is among 63 films in the running for a slot in the Best Foreign Language Film category of the Oscars.

Last week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the list of entrants to the competition. The deadline for submission of entries was Oct. 3.

Only five from the 63 films will get a nod. Nominees will be announced on Jan. 24 and the winner will be proclaimed on Feb. 26.

“I’m being very realistic about this,” Rivera told Inquirer Entertainment on Monday. “The competition is tough. Some of these films have had theatrical runs in the United States. We’re still sorting things out for ‘Septic.’”

Among the early favorites, Rivera cited Zhang Yimou’s “The Flowers of War” (China), Asghar Farhadi’s “A Separation” (Iran) and Jose Padilha’s “Elite Squad: The Enemy Within” (Brazil).

But of his debut film, which won best picture (New Breed) at this year’s Cinemalaya, Rivera said, “I’m very positive about everything. I never even expected the film to get this far. For me, this is reason enough to be grateful.”

“Septic Tank,” which top-bills Eugene Domingo, chronicles the misadventures of three wannabe filmmakers.

Eugene Domingo

“We are ecstatic but, of course, we immediately realized that this entails a lot of work,” Domingo said. “We have to make a lot of noise in the US.”

“Septic Tank” was shown for four weeks in 44 theaters nationwide and earned P38.4 million at the tills, its director reported.

He said the film owes its success to its star, Domingo. “This was written for her. She lent her name to the film.”

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