Allen Dizon Beats Brit Actor Ralph Fiennes And Top Korean, Indian & Viet Actors In Winning Hanoi International Filmfest Best Actor Award

ALLEN DIZON won his second international best actor award for the acclaimed film, “Ang Magkakabaung (The Coffin Maker)” at the Hanoi International Filmfest last Thursday night. His first award for the same movie was at the Harlem International Filmfest in New York last September.

“Just like in New York, I just went there to enjoy the moment and wasn’t expecting to win,” he says. “Kasi ang bibigat ng mga kalaban namin. Imagine, also nominated as best actor was noted British actor Ralph Fiennes who’s nominated sa Oscar Awards for ‘Schindler’s List’ and ‘The English Patient’. This time, he’s nominated for a film he did in Russia, ‘Two Women’.”

The other nominees he defeated are Korean actor Go Soo (star of the hit “Green Rose”), Indian actor Nasse Ruddin Shan, and Vietnamese actors Trang Anh and Tran Bao Son, star of the popular Viet film “Flapping in the Middle of Nowhere”. The vote for Allen as best actor is unanimous. All the jurors praised him.

“Aside from the trophy they gave me, may cash prize,” adds Allen. “I won $3,000 na binigay agad sa’kin. The Hanoi filmfest obviously has a big budget kasi it’s supported by their government. VIP treatment kami. Hatid sundo kami sa aming 5-star hotel ng limousines with wang wang. May big dinner gabi-gabi. Very organized sila hanggang sa red carpet and sa presscon with Q&A after our film’s screening. What’s nice is that our movie also won the Netpac Award for Director Jason Paul Laxamana kaya lahat kaming Filipino delegation na nagpunta roon, tuwang-tuwa, along with our producers Dennis Evangelista and Ferdie Lapus and also my wife and three kids, including my daughter Felixia na siyang gumanap bilang anak ko sa movie na namatay dahil sa kagagawan ko. Nag-self medicate kasi ako sa kanya, resulting into her death kaya sobra ang pagsisisi ko. Aside from ‘Magkakabaung’ which is the main competition, kasama rin ang movie kong ‘Lauriana’ in the exhibition section and it got very positive feedback. I was made a guest speaker in the HANIFF campus convocation and a panellist in seminars on film kaya naging busy talaga ako the whole time we were there.”


“Ang Magkakabaung” is an entry in the New Wave category of the coming Metro Manila Filmfest so local viewers finally get the chance to watch this prestigious drama filmed in its original Kapampangan dialect from December 17 to 24 at SM Megamall and Glorietta Cinemas. The film will next join a filmfest in Austin, Texas and in India. It also stars Gladys Reyes as Felixia’s mom who left her and Allen to marry a foreigner, Emilio Garcia as Allen’s boss in the coffin factory and Chanel Latorre as Allen’s new girlfriend. Allen’s new projects are “Daluyong”, where he’ll play a priest who gets Diana Zubiri pregnant, directed by Mel Chionglo; and “Imbisibol”, to be filmed in Japan where he will play an aging hosto, directed by Lawrence Fajardo.