EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC
OF THE PHILIPPINES


SEOUL REPUBLIC OF KOREA

news

PHILIPPINES SCORES BIG AT 17th PUCHON FILM FESTIVALbioclavid wiki kapslerbruger.site bioclavid til hunde


SEOUL, 26 July 2013 – Director Erik Matti, center, and actor Joel Torre, right, show off their prizes at the Closing Ceremony of the 17th Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan) in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. Matti’s On The Job (OTJ) won the Jury’s Choice Award while Torre won Best Actor for his role as veteran assassin in the same film. To the left stands Singapore director Eric Koo, a PiFan juror. (Photo credit to PiFan and Ms Kim Jong Ok)

SEOUL, 4 August 2013 – The recently concluded 17th Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan) gave special recognition in this year’s edition to the Philippine independent film industry with top awards and a special focus.

The PiFan, held in Bucheon, an hour southwest of Seoul in Gyeongi Province, 18-28 July 2013, is one of Korea's top four film festivals and one of the biggest genre film festivals in the world.

Choosing from 12 films, the panel of judges for the PiFan competition handed the Jury’s Choice Award to On the Job (OTJ), helmed by one of the most bankable and prolific filmmakers in the Philippines today, Erik Matti, and the Best Actor prize to veteran thespian Joel Torre for his role as an ageing gun-for-hire in the same film.

OTJ, which was also an entry in the Directors’ Fortnight at the 66th Cannes Film Festival in May 2013, will be screened in the Philippines on 28 August 2013.

The jury includes Singapore director Eric Khoo, Japanese filmmaker Shinji Higuchi, Director's Fortnight programmer Benjamin Illos, South Korean producer Choi Yong-hae and Paris-based actor Brontis Jodorowsky, the son of director Alejandro Jodorowsky.

As one of the trending countries in the international film festival circuit, the Philippines was the featured country for this year's Project Spotlight in the 6th Network of Asian Fantastic Films (NAFF), the project arm of PiFan,

Seven Filipino filmmakers, including Tikoy Aguiluz, Richard Somes, Rico Maria Ilarde, were able to pitch their film projects to Hollywood executives. Khavn de la Cruz, considered the father of Philippine digital filmmaking, won the IT Project Award and financing of 10 million won (US$8,956) for his Ruined Heart! Another Love Story Between a Criminal and a Whore.

The Embassy co-hosted a reception for the Philippine delegation, led by Briccio Santos, Chairman of the Film Development Council of The Philippines (FDCP), at the NAFF Project Spotlight at the Hotel Koryo in Bucheon City. In addition, two Filipino genre film specialists were invited to take part in the Asian Filmmakers' Lab at the Fantastic Film School.

The other members of the Philippine delegation were directors Rommel Tolentino, Rico Maria Ilarde, Ato Bautista, Tyrone Acierto, Mr. Peter Eduria III, as well as producers Aiess Alonso, Achinette Villamor, Joe Alandy, Mon Confiado, and Shugo Praico.

Philippine films have consistently performed well in film festivals in Korea. At the 14th Jeonju International Film Festival in April, Mamay Umeng, the first full-length feature film of former film stylist Dwein Baltazar, won the Woosuk Best Picture Award from among the 10 films in competition.

Other News


September 28, 2025
UP LAW DELEGATION UNDERTAKES BENCHMARKING VISIT ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND LEGAL EDUCATION IN SOUTH KOREA

21 September 2025, Seoul, Republic of Korea – A 50-member delegation from the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law, led by Associate Dean Paolo Emmanuel S. Tamase and former UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, paid a courtesy call at the Sentro Rizal Hall of the Philippine Embassy in Seoul, where they were warmly received by Ambassador Bernadette Therese C. Fernandez. 

Read More
September 19, 2025
PHILIPPINES CALLS FOR RESPONSIBLE COMPETITION AND STRATEGIC COOPERATION AT SEOUL DEFENSE DIALOGUE 2025

Seoul, Republic of Korea — At the 2025 Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD), Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto C. Teodoro called on the international community to embrace responsible competition, uphold international law, and prioritize inclusive security mechanisms in addressing today’s most pressing geopolitical challenges. Participating in the high-level forum under the theme “Confronting Geopolitical Challenges: Building Peace through Cooperation,” Teodoro emphasized the urgency of strengthening multilateral institutions and promoting dialogue amid global instability. The Philippine Embassy in Seoul, led by Deputy Head of Mission Edwin Gil Q. Mendoza, supported the Secretary and his delegation throughout the dialogue. 

Read More
September 16, 2025
PHILIPPINE EMBASSY IN KOREA WELCOMES NEW AMBASSADOR

Seoul, Republic of Korea - The Philippine Embassy in Korea welcomed its new Ambassador, Her Excellency Bernadette Therese C. Fernandez, Chief of Mission Class I, who arrived in Seoul on 15 September 2025 to formally assume her post as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of the Philippines to the Republic of Korea. She was accompanied by her spouse, the Honorable Francisco Noel R. Fernandez III, Director General of the Foreign Service Institute. 

Read More