Paolo Villaluna’s Pedicab Wins Best Film Award At Shanghai Int’l Film Fest

Filipino director Paolo Villaluna wins the Golden Goblet Award for best feature film for his movie Pedicab at the prestigious Shanghai International Film Festival. Awarding ceremonies were held in Shanghai last Sunday, June 25.

According to the Inquirer, the feature film which is also known by its Filipino title Pauwi Na, competed against entries from the United States, Poland, Romania, Bangladesh/India, China, Japan, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Iran and Macedonia/Russia/Lithuania.

Filipino Talent Shines

Filipino talent shines once again on the international stage. Paolo Villaluna received the award with the film’s cast members, Cherry Pie Picache and Bembol Roco. Other cast members include Meryll Soriano and Jerald Napoles.

The film was previously released in July 2016 and it tells the story of a family struggling to go back to the province from Metro Manila. Because they do not have the means, they try to make the journey on a pedicab. As each family member take turns on the pedals, the story unfolds and bears all the quirks of each character.

The Shanghai International Film Festival is one of the largest film festivals in Asia, together with the Tokyo International Film Festival. Since it started in 1993, it has become an A-category international film festival, with good quality entries coming from all parts of the world.

More About Pauwi Na (Pedicab)

According to a Rappler feature, director Paolo Villaluna says that his inspiration for the film comes from a news clip he saw in a national daily, of a family who wanted to travel to Leyte by pedicab because they did not have the means.

This is also Villaluna’s first film in 7 years. His last film was Walang Hanggang Paalam in 2009. In Pedicab, he also worked with longtime collaborator Ellen Ramos, who co-produced, co-wrote and co-edited the film.

The director also told the Inquirer that he was fearful that the international audience “may not be able to relate with some of the cultural and social nuances in the film.” This whole experience however reminded him and Ramos “how cinema can make the human condition universal.”