Quattro Hong Kong 2

Director Brillante Ma. Mendoza was born on July 30, 1960 in San Fernando, Pampanga, Philippines. He finished Fine Arts at the University of Santo Tomas where he majored in Advertising. His career began as a Production Designer in feature films, television, and theatre. His mastery over production design was featured in acclaimed local films such as Takaw Tukso (Flirting With Temptation, 1986), Private Show (1986), Olongapo (1984), The Great American Dream (1987), and many others. In 2005, Mendoza founded Centerstage Productions (CSP), an independent film production outfit. This film out fit produced feature films that gained several awards in local and international film festivals. As a production designer for feature films, he moved to television commercial productions and became one of the most sought after production designers. From 1990 to 2004, he focused his career as an Art Director for television commercials for national and multi-national advertisers: San Miguel Brewery, Asia Brewery, PLDT, Globe Telecom, Smart Telecommunications, Procter & Gamble Philippines, and Unilever Philippines.

In 2005 Mendoza ventured into feature film not as a production designer but as a director. His first feature film Masahista (The Masseur, 2005) won the Golden Leopard Award at the Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland. The film also won the Interfaith Award in 2006 in the Brisbane Film Festival and the Audience award in the Turin International Film Festival. This started his career as a film director.

Mendoza’s subsequent films further won major international awards: Manoro (The Aeta Teacher, 2006) won the CinemAvvenir at the 2006 Torino Film Festival for Best Film, and for Best Picture and Best Director awards at the Cinemanila 2006; Kaleldo (Summer Heat, 2006) won the Netpac Award and Best Actress Award in Durban, 2007; Foster Child (2007) won the Best Actress at New Delhi International Film Festival, Special Jury award at the 2007 International Eurasia Film Festival in Kazakhstan, the Signis Award in the 2008 Las Palmas International Film Festival, and Best Picture and Best Actress awards in Durban, 2008; Tirador (Slingshot, 2007) won the Special Jury Award in the 2007 Marrakech International Film Festival and the Caligari Prize Award at the 2008 Berlin International Film Festival. It was also given the Best Film, Best Director, and Netpac Awards in the 2008 Singapore International Film Festival.

Serbis won the Best Film and Best Actress awards in the Pacific Meredian Film Festival in Vladivostok, Russia, and the Golden Kinnaree Awards in Bangkok Film Festival in 2008. Serbis is also the first Filipino film to be invited as official selection in the prestigious New York Film Festival. It was also the first Filipino film to compete at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.

In 2009 Mendoza did the film Lola which gave him numerous awards both local and international: 2009 Dubai International Film Festival, 2010 Miami International Film Festival Grand Knight Award, 2010 Las Palmas International Film Festival: Golden Lady Harimaguada, Best Actress, Best Cinematography; 2010 Asia pacific Award, Best Actress.

He is regarded by the world’s film critics as an Ultra-neo-realist for his films that depict social realities and the lives of ordinary people in extraordinary situations. Mendoza uses these social realities as the backdrop of characters on issues that plague the country, Brillante Ma. Mendoza is the First Filipino to win the Best Director award at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival for his picture Kinatay, besting other world renowned directors.

Brillante’s films depict social realities about the lives of ordinary people in extraordinary situations against the backdrop of issues that plague the country.

Apichatpong “Joe” Weerasethakul (Thai: อภิชาติพงศ์ วีระเศรษฐกุล; born July 16, 1970) is a Thai independent film director, screenwriter, and film producer. His feature films include Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, winner of the prestigious 2010 Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or prize; Tropical Malady, which won a jury prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival; Blissfully Yours, which won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard program at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival; and Syndromes and a Century, which premiered at the 63rd Venice Film Festival and was the first Thai film to be entered in competition there.

Working outside the strict confines of the Thai film studio system, Weerasethakul has directed several features and dozens of short films. Themes reflected in his films (frequently discussed in interviews) include dreams, nature, sexuality (including his own homosexuality), and Western perceptions of Thailand and Asia, and his films display a preference for unconventional narrative structures (like placing titles/credits at the middle of a film) and for working with non-actors. Cinephiles affectionately refer to him as “Joe” (a nickname that he, like many with similarly long Thai names, has adopted out of convenience). –Wikipedia

HO Yuhang was born and raised in Petaling Jaya, just outside the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. He took a degree in engineering at Iowa State University in the US, but opted for a career in TV production when he returned to Malaysia. He soon began putting his training in the craft of programme-making to work in a series of personal short films and tapes. In 1999, he made the six-part documentary series Semangat Insan: Masters of Tradition. His debut feature Min followed in 2003; it was financed by television and shot on digital video, but was invited to many film festivals as a film and won the Special Jury Prize at the Festival des 3 Continents in Nantes, France. His subsequent features and shorts have been invited to an ever-widening circle of festivals and have won several more prizes, including the NETPAC Award and the Tiger Award for Best Short at International Film Festival Rotterdam (for Sanctuary and As I Lay Dying respectively). In 2008, he was one of three finalists for Martin Scorsese’s mentorship in an arts initiative sponsored by Rolex. At The End of Daybreak received the NETPAC Award at the Locarno Film Festival and garnered seven Best Actress Awards for lead actress Kara Hui. –Tony Rayns