Kapag Wala Nang Mga Alon, Leonor Will Never Die are the big winners at 2023 Gawad Urian

December 4, 2023

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A SCENE from Kapag Wala Nang Mga Alon.

FILIPINO auteur Lav Diaz’s black-and-white morality drama Kapag Wala Nang Mga Alon was one of the night’s two big winners at the 46th Gawad Urian Awards. From its nine nominations, it won four awards: Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Actor for John Lloyd Cruz.

The ceremony was held on Nov. 30 at the University of the Philippines-Diliman’s Cine Adarna in Quezon City.

Kapag Wala Nang Mga Alon shared the same number of wins with Martika Ramirez Escobar’s Leonor Will Never Die, which clinched the Best Director, Best Score, Best Production Design, and Best Editing awards.

Leonor Will Never Die follows the titular retired filmmaker (played by Sheila Francisco) who falls into a coma and is sucked into one of her action films. The film won a Special Jury Prize for Innovative Spirit at last year’s Sundance Film Festival.

The 187-minute Kapag Wala Nang Mga Alon chronicles the inner turmoil of Lieutenant Hermes Papauran (played by Mr. Cruz) in relation to the drug war, the atrocities corroding him spiritually and physically in the form of a severe skin disease.

The film was at the Locarno Film Festival earlier this year, where Mr. Cruz was awarded the Golden Jug for Best Actor. — Brontë H. Lacsamana

The 46th Gawad Urian Awards were held on Nov. 30 at the University of the Philippines-Diliman’s Cine Adarna in Quezon City. The annual film awards are given by the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino, a group of film critics.

This year’s winners are:

• Best Film: Kapag Wala Nang Mga Alon• Best Director: Martika Ramirez Escobar (Leonor Will Never Die)• Best Actress: Max Eigenmann (12 Weeks)• Best Actor: John Lloyd Cruz (Kapag Wala Nang Mga Alon)• Best Supporting Actress: Claudia Enriquez (12 Weeks)• Best Supporting Actor: Soliman Cruz (Blue Room)• Best Screenplay: Lav Diaz (Kapag Wala Nang Mga Alon)• Best Cinematography: Larry Manda (Kapag Wala Nang Mga Alon)• Best Documentary: 11,103 by Mike Alcazaren and Jeannette Ifurung• Best Short Film: Sa Paglupad ka Banog by Elvert Bañares• Best Editing: Lawrence Ang (Leonor Will Never Die)• Best Production Design: Eero Yves Francisco (Leonor Will Never Die)• Best Music: Alyana Cabral, Pan de Coco, and Joseph Salcedo (Leonor Will Never Die)• Best Sound: Kristian Eidnes Andersen (Nocebo)• Natatanging Gawad Urian: Jaime Francisco Garcia Fabregas