Hong Sang-soo is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. An acclaimed and prolific filmmaker, Hong is known for his slow-paced films about love affairs and everyday dilemmas in contemporary South Korea.
Nora Cabaltera Villamayor, known professionally as Nora Aunor, is a Filipino actress, recording artist, and film producer. Aunor has also appeared in several stage plays, television shows and concerts. She is known as Philippine cinema's "Superstar" and was conferred as a National Artist of the Philippines for Film and Broadcast Arts in 2022. The Hollywood Reporter called her "The Grand Dame of Philippine Cinema" for her performances in the movies Taklub (Trap) and Hustisya (Justice), and for her contributions to the Philippine film industry.
Andrey Petrovich Zvyagintsev is a Russian film director and screenwriter. His film The Return (2003) won him a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Following The Return, Zvyagintsev directed The Banishment (2007) and Elena (2011). His film Leviathan (2014) was nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film in 2014 and won the Best Film award at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. His most recent film Loveless won the Jury Prize at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, and was among the nominees for Best International Feature Film at the 90th Academy Awards. He also won the Achievement in Directing award for this film at the 2017 Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
Baran Kosari is an Iranian actress. Born to filmmakers Jahangir Kosari and Rakhshan Banietemad, she began her career with acting in the films of her mother. Kosari has received various accolades, including two Crystal Simorghs, two Hafez Awards, two Iran Cinema Celebration Awards and two Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association Awards.
Udaya Prasanna Vithanage is a Sri Lankan filmmaker. He is considered one of the pioneers of the third generation of the Sri Lankan cinema. In his early theatre work, he translated and produced plays by international writers, adapted works of world literature to film. He is known for thought-provoking films that often deals with social, political and cultural issues. His films have received numerous awards accolades, both locally and internationally and have been praised for their innovative storytelling.
Merila Zarei is an Iranian actress. She is one of the most influential actresses after the Islamic Revolution of Iran, who has appeared in the films of renowned directors such as Asghar Farhadi, Ebrahim Hatami Kia, Pouran Derakhshandeh, Reza Attaran, Abbas Kia Rostami and Masoud Kimiaei.
Himala ('Miracle') is a 1982 Filipino film directed by Ishmael Bernal and produced by the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines. It stars Nora Aunor as a young woman living in the province who claims to have seen a Marian apparition. The film story and script written by Ricky Lee was inspired by a series of alleged Marian apparitions appearing before schoolgirls, which took place from 1966 to 1972 on Cabra Island in Lubang, Occidental Mindoro.
Jeon Do-yeon is a South Korean actress. She won Best Actress at the 60th Cannes Film Festival, making her the first Korean actress to win an acting award at Cannes, and Best Performance by an Actress at the 1st Asia Pacific Screen Awards for her performance in Lee Chang-dong's 2007 film Secret Sunshine. Many young actresses have cited Jeon as a role model.
Tannishtha Chatterjee is an Indian actress and director who is known for her work in several Hindi and English independent films. For her performance in the film Dekh Indian Circus, she won the National Film Award – Special Jury Award / Special Mention . In 2019 she directed her first feature film Roam Rome Mein which screened at Toronto International Film Festival. Chatterjee's performance in the German film Shadows of Time earned her critical acclaim. It took her to international film festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival and the Berlin International Film Festival.
Yoon Jeong-hee was a South Korean actress and beauty pageant titleholder who competed at Miss Korea 1964. She debuted in 1967 in Theatre of Youth. She appeared in about 330 films, and her better known works are New Place (1979), Woman in Crisis (1987) and Manmubang (1994). Her last performance was in 2010, in director Lee Chang-dong's film Poetry, for which she won 7 best actress awards including Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Actress at 4th Asia Pacific Screen Awards, the Grand Bell Award at 47th Grand Bell Awards, and Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award at 2011 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards.
Akasa Kusum is a 2008 Sri Lankan Sinhala drama film directed by Prasanna Vithanage and co-produced by H.D. Premasiri, Prasanna Vithanage, and A. Sreekar Prasad for Sarasavi Cineroo Films. It stars Malini Fonseka and Nimmi Harasgama in lead roles along with Dilhani Ekanayake and Kaushalya Fernando. Music composed by Lakshman Joseph de Saram.
Mina Walking is a 2015 Canadian-Afghani drama film written and directed by Yosef Baraki. It was screened in the Generation 14+ section of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival where it competed for the Crystal Bear.
The 12th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival was held from August 5–14, 2016 in Metro Manila, Philippines. This marks the return of full-length films after their absence in last year's edition. A total of nine full-length features and ten short films competed. The festival was opened by Carlo Obispo's 1-2-3 and was closed by Gil Portes' Ang Hapis at Himagsik ni Hermano Puli. At the awards night, both Pamilya Ordinaryo and Tuos dominated, with each receiving five awards. Pamilya Ordinaryo won Best Film.
The 48th Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Scholarship Foundation Box Office Entertainment Awards (GMMSF-BOEA), honored the personalities, movies and TV programs in the Philippines, held on May 14, 2017 at the Henry Lee Irwin Theater in Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City. Vice Ganda, Coco Martin, Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo lead winners at the annual awards. The awards night was aired on ABS-CBN's Sunday's Best on May 21, 2017.
Leila Zare is an Iranian actress known for her roles in We Are All Fine (2005), Goodbye (2011) and Night Shift (2015).
Samal Ilyaskyzy Yeslyamova is a Kazakh film actress. She is recognized internationally for starring in the film Ayka directed by Sergey Dvortsevoy, which won her the award for Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018.
Ron Nacianceno, known professionally as Ronwaldo Martin, is a Filipino film and television actor. He is the younger brother of Coco Martin.
Pamilya Ordinaryo is a 2016 Philippine drama directed and written by Eduardo W. Roy Jr., and starring Ronwaldo Martin, Hasmine Kilip and Maria Isabel Lopez.
