Brillante Ma. Mendoza's 'Gensan Punch' nominated at the 26th Busan International Film Festival in South Korea

Reported by Celso De Guzman Caparas  Photos :  CTTO

Multi-awarded film director Brillante Ma. Mendoza's 'Gensan Punch' is one of the seven nominees for the Kim Jiseok Award at the 26th Busan International Film Festival in South Korea.  

Multi-awarded film director Brillante Ma. Mendoza's 'Gensan Punch' is one of the seven nominees for the Kim Jiseok Award at the 26th Busan International Film Festival in South Korea.

Written by Honee Alipio, "the film is based on the true story of Nao Tsuyama, a disabled athlete who refuses to let his artificial leg hinder his dream to become a professional boxer.  His remarkable journey takes him from Japan to the Philippines, specifically the Gensan quarter which has spawned worldwide stars such as boxing legend Manny Pacquiao."
It stars Shogen Itkz, an Okinawan actor (as Nao Tsuyama) with Ronnie Lazaro, Beauty Gonzales, and Kaho Minami. 
Shogen was ecstatic in his Facebook post when he learned the good news. 

"I’m thrilled to announce that “Gensan Punch” will have it’s World Premier at 부산국제영화제 Busan International Film Festival (BIFF)! Actually Busan is the memorable place to have met the director Brillante Mendoza in 2018 and then we pitched this project for the first time. So I feel like it was meant to happen. ​

I’d like to express my gratitude once again to Direk Brillante, and the whole team from both Japan and Philippines. And thank you Nao Tsuchiyama for letting us share your story to the world. I’m sure it’s going to inspire a lot of people."
'Gensan Punch' will have its World Premiere in BIFF, it was produced by Mendoza for Center Stage Productions (Philippines) and Gentle Underground Monkeys (Japan). 

As posted in BIFF's website and social media platforms, here's the official announcement :
"The 26th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has selected 7 nominees for the Kim Jiseok Award!
The Kim Jiseok Award is celebrating its 4th year at the 26th BIFF, and was established in respectful memory of the late program director Kim Jiseok in 2017. 
The award will be given to the most attractive films that reflect the contemporary standing of Asian cinema in accordance with the late Kim's intent. 
Among the films in the “A Window on Asian Cinema” section, seven candidates are selected to compete for the award. 
Two award recipients will be chosen by jurors and be given a cash prize of 10,000 USD each."
The other six contenders are as follows: 

Renowned Iranian director Reza Mirkarimi is Jury Head with members, Gulnara Abikeyeva and Kim Haery, acclaimed film critics from Kazakhstan and South Korea, respectively.
The nine-day Busan International Film Festival will run from Oct. 6 to Oct. 15. 

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