JessicaRulestheUniverse.com

Norte, The End of History opens in New York on June 20 at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Get your tickets here. The pop-up screenings at theatres in Metro Manila and other cities will resume very soon.

Norte, Hangganan Ng Kasaysayan has won the Gawad Urian for Best Picture, Best Screenplay (Lav Diaz and Rody Vera), Best Cinematography (Larry Manda) and Best Actress (Angeli Bayani in a very, very strong field that included the Nora Aunor and the Vilma Santos!).

We caught the first half of the awards night and were the designated accepter if it won for Best Picture, but we asked the fabulous Maya Q to give the acceptance speech instead because there was the very real possibility that we would trip when we went up the stage of the Dolphy Theatre at ABS-CBN. Not because of brain fever, but because we are a terrible klutz in our “normal” state. Then halfway through the brisk, no-nonsense awards we got very sleepy because the virus has rebooted our system and now we sleep and wake up early (and eat only during mealtimes. The virus has turned us into a normal human being! Aaaaaaaa!).

The awards we managed to catch:

Angel Aquino was nominated twice for Best Supporting Actress for Ang Huling Cha-Cha ni Anita and Porno. Fortunately despite having the vote split she still took home her first Urian trophy for Cha-Cha.

Jun Jun Quintana won for Best Supporting Actor in A Philippino Story, overcoming tough competition from Joey Marquez in OTJ and Archie Alemania in Norte. The presentors were fellow Best Actor nominees Mimi Juareza (Quick Change) and Alex Medina (Babagwa). Mimi explained why she is nominated for Actor, not Actress: if you saw Quick Change, you know that she is still…attached to maleness.

Zig Dulay was quite overcome by his victory for Best Short for Missing,

And Nanay Mameng was her badass self when she pointed out that she’s didn’t know what she was doing in the Urian when all she’s ever wanted is to help the oppressed.

Chuck Gutierrez won the Best Editing prize for Riddles of My Homecoming.

The Gawad Urian ceremony was hosted by Piolo Pascual, Bianca Gonzales, Butch Francisco and Ai-Ai de las Alas, who said she would star in an indie version of Tanging Ina in which she would give birth in close-up to each of her twelve children.