Brillante’s red-carpet dream

Brillante Ma Mendoza at the Cannes photo call

Filmmaker Brillante Ma Mendoza was the only Filipino invited to the 70th anniversary photo call of the Cannes Film Festival in France.

It was, by his own admission, “an overwhelming” feeling to pose side by side with the likes of Nicole Kidman, Will Smith and Oliver Stone in a group photo. Still, he has one unfulfilled wish: “I would’ve wanted everyone I work with to join me there. They should also be honored, not just me. I am only a filmmaker, but the real creator is my mentor [scriptwriter-director] Armando ‘Bing’ Lao. I wanted him to be there, so he could experience the same thing standing alongside past winners and jury presidents.” —BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR.