Celebrated author Paulo Coelho praised the highly-acclaimed 2009 Brillante Mendoza movie “Kinatay” on Twitter saying it had “great screenplay, directors, actors.”
The Brazilian novelist tweeted that the film was “one of the most disturbing movies I watched in 2018-great screenplay, director, actors.”
“A Filipino movie that, if it was directed by Tarantino, would be shortlisted for the Oscar,” he added. Quentin Tarantino is a popular American director known for his dark, violent and satirical films.
He then added that Tarantino also wrote a letter to congratulate him back then.
Mendoza’s thriller is about a criminology student, played by Coco Martin, who tried to make extra money for his wife and child but accidentally got tied up to a drug syndicate.
Mendoza bagged the “Best Director” Award at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival while the movie itself won the Sitges Film Festival in Spain.
That year, the Philippines submitted another entry to the Oscar Awards foreign film category, an independent film titled “Ploning,” which was released in 2008 and starred Judy Ann Santos.
Coelho was well-known for his inspiring novels “The Alchemist,” “Eleven Minutes” and “Veronika Decides to Die.”
Tarantino and Mendoza
In 2009, Tarantino was also invited to the Cannes Film Festival for his entry titled “Inglourious Basterds.”
Reports said that the American filmmaker left a note to Mendoza to congratulate him when he won and beat him and the other older directors. The exact message of the note is uncertain.
While they differ in the culture of the places they come from, the elements of the movies Tarantino and Mendoza direct are quite similar, that is, with violence and gore. Many of Mendoza’s films, however, are more tragic and darker in tone.
Mendoza also won at the 6th Dubai International Film Festival in 2009 for his drama titled “Lola,” at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival in 2012 for his movie “Captive,” among others.
Meanwhile, Tarantino’s iconic “Pulp Fiction” won at the Cannes Film Festival in 1994. He won two Oscars for his movies “Django Unchained” and “Pulp Fiction.” His works also earned nominations from award shows over the years.