‘Kalel, 15,’ ‘Aswang,’ and ‘Babae at Baril’ lead FAMAS best picture nominations

Image: Instagram/@famas_digital

The Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Awards recently announced the nominees for its 68th Awards, made digital due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The competition is tough for the best picture category, which is led by Jun Robles Lana’s “Kalel, 15,” Alyx Arumpac’s “Aswang,” and Rae Red’s “Babae at Baril.”

Elijah Canlas in “Kalel, 15” (L) and Janine Gutierrez in “Babae at Baril.” Image: Facebook/@Kalel15movie, @BabaeAtBaril

Arden Rod Cortez’s “John Denver Trending” — which dominated the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival in 2019 with six awards — was likewise nominated by FAMAS for best picture.

Raymund Ribay Gutierrez’s “Verdict,” which tackles domestic violence and bagged the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival awards in 2019, and regional filmmaker Glenn Barit’s “Cleaners” are also gunning for best picture.

Arumpac captures President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs in documentary “Aswang,” which is seen through the eyes of a journalist, a coroner and the families left behind. The title “Aswang” is drawn from the term for evil spirits in Philippine folklore.

Lana’s “Kalel, 15,” which won best screenplay and bagged best actor for protagonist Elijah Canlas in this year’s Gawad Urian, tackles the struggles of a teen diagnosed with HIV. Canlas was also nominated by FAMAS for best performance of the year (actor). 

Meanwhile, Red’s “Babae at Baril,” which by turns won best actress for Janine Gutierrez and best picture in the recent Gawad Urian, portrays a department store salesperson (Gutierrez) who finds a gun on her doorstep. Gutierrez, too, leads the nominations for FAMAS’ best performance of the year (actress). 

The full list of the FAMAS Digital 2020 nominees may be viewed here. NVG

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