ACTRESS Mai Fanglayan who plays the role of a Cordilleran woman in Tanabata’s wife is nominated in the best actress category of the 42nd Gawad Urian Awards set on June 18 at the UPFI Film Center.
Tanabata’s wife is also nominated for best cinematography, best editing, best music while Miyuki Kamimura was also nominate for the best actor category.
Fanglayan, a native of Mountain Province and a graduate of Bachelor of Arts in Communication at Saint Louis University told SunStar Baguio the nomination came as a surprise citing the recent best actress award in the TOFarm Film Festival in 2018 as was already a huge honor.
“It is an honor, not just for me and my family but for the whole Cordillera and I’m very proud to carry the banner of the Igorot tribe. This is a difficult task but it is a challenge that I am more than willing to live up to as I walk through my career path as an actor,” she added.
Fanglayan narrated it was a shock when she was called Thursday, May 9, and saw her name on the list of nominated as best actress of the Gawad Urian. She also thanked all the support she has received.
Gawad Urian Awards is an annual film awards in the country held since 1977 given by the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino.
On Wednesday, May 8, Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino release in its official page the list of nominees of the 2019 annual awards.
At least 10 films were nominated for the best picture.
Fanglayan is up against seasoned actresses Ai-ai delas Alas, Perla Bautista, Anne Curtis, Glaiza De Castro, Celeste Legaspi, Nadine Lustre, Iyah Mina, Bela Padilla, and Pokwang.
Tanabata’s wife is a love story between a Japanese farmer and Cordilleran woman based on the literary piece of Sinai Hamada.
Her character named “Fas-ang” is a Bontoc tribeswoman hired by Tanabata, a Japanese farmer who eventually fell in love with each other. The two continue to have a child and together tackle culture differences set in a scenic Cordilleran backdrop. Tanabata’s wife was also filmed in Buguias, Benguet.
The film bagged the best picture in the 2018 TOFarm Film Festival winning different categories of which Fanglayan bagged best actress award.