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A Filipino independent film gained international recognition in the recently concluded 66th Venice Film Festival. Pepe Diokno, 22 is the director of the Indie film called “Engkwentro” (Clash) which was named Best Debut Film in the Orizzonti (New Horizons) competition.

Aside from the said award, the film also won the Luigi de Laurentiis Award for a debut film, where it defeated all first-timers including some who are included in the main completion. Diokno was in Venice together with star of the film, Felix Roco, one of veteran actor’s Bembol Roco’s twin sons.

The Venice Film Festival is one of the oldest in the world and considered to be among the most prestigious including those in Cannes, Toronto, New York and Berlin. The Orizzonti, on the other hand, provides a spectrum of new trends in cinema.

“The cast and crew are honored to represent the Philippines, side by side with world cinema’s most respected names,” said Diokno before they flew to Venice.

Engkwentro was inspired by true events. It tells the story of two teenage brothers on opposite sides of a gang war. One of the brothers was tasked to kill the other at a deadly midnight clash (engkwentro). And while all of this is happening, the City Death Squad, a group of vigilantes which was funded by a Big Brother-type mayor, is hot on their trail. The two brothers must find a way of out in order to stay alive.

The whole movie was shot using a hand-held type camera, and premiered in the Philippines at the recent 2009 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival. Diokno said the story was inspired by actual “death squad” killings in some cities in the country where, in the last decade, over 814 people have murdered by hit men allegedly sponsored by the government.

Diokno added that many of the victims then, according to reports, were minors, including gang members, petty criminals and street children.