SUNDAY last week at the awards ceremonies in a hotel ballroom in Benodet, France, film lovers were shouting "Bravo" for the Philippine entry, "Muro-Ami," and its lead actor, Cesar Montano.

The Filipino actor, accompanied by girlfriend Sunshine Cruz, looked dazed and could only mutter "Thank you" in that public display of adulation for the Philippine entry.

"I couldn't believe it," the actor was quoted by his manager, Norma Japitana, to have said. "Being selected in the magic eight films out of the 200 entries is already an honor. But winning was just too good to be true," he added.

Not only did the filmfest jury like the Philippines' entry, "Muro-Ami (The Reef Hunters)". The Marilou Diaz-Abaya movie is also the Benodet public's choice as best film.

On top of that, Cesar Montano bested male lead players from seven other competing films by winning the best actor award.

These were the big plus points for the Philippines in the Second Festival International de Cinema which recently ended in Benodet, France with the theme "Quest for Soul (Les Chercheurs d'ame)."

While "Muro-Ami" was the juror's public's choice, the grand prize of the festival went to Italy's "The Manuscript of the Prince" directed by Roberto Ando and starring Michel Bouquet and Jeanne Moreau.

The Philippine entry-which got two of the three major prizes-received trophies created by the famous Pascal Morabito.

"The festival was very honored that the main actor, Cesar Montano, was present to receive the prizes," festival vice president France Berthou wrote to GMA Films International Coordinator Peachy Salvador.

Earlier before the awards night, Cesar said he was very nervous. "This is the first time that my film has qualified to compete in a foreign festival," he said. "In Berlin, 'Rizal' was only shown in the Panorama Section but it never competed. But I never really expected something big like winning an acting trophy. Just being singled out as one of the right official entries was already a big honor," he added.

The actor said that "Muro-Ami" was his most difficult film to do, much more demanding than "Jose Rizal" which won him the best actor trophy in the last Metro Manila Film Festival.

"I could do a sequel of 'Rizal' and still improve on my output there but I will never do a repeat of 'Muro-Ami,''' he told mediamen at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport VIP Lounge before leaving for Paris. "Just doing those underwater scenes was as tough as getting the emotions needed to portray the inner turmoil of the main character."

Montano said he saw director Marilou Diaz-Abaya's tough side while doing "Muro-Ami." "The research alone was overwhelming," said the actor. "We had to be in good physical shape all throughout the shooting and working 40 feet underwater most of the time. Marilou is a diver herself that's why she could block scenes underwater. That's why I didn't complain because she was determined to do that film in spite of the difficulties. I can say that she is one tough director who liked big challenges."

Shot from Aug 9 to Oct. 9 last year in the Visayan province of Bohol, "Muro-Ami" involved the hiring of more than 35 child actors who passed the auditions based on two main criteria: underwater swimming and acting skills.

Abaya said working with the children in "Muro-Ami" was a humbling experience. "For one, you sacrifice your director's momentum in favor of the children's health," she said. "For another, I didn't seek to control them. You wait until they are properly stimulated. I was at their mercy. Despite having about 20 rescue scuba divers to assist me, working with the children were both difficult and nerve-wracking at the same time."

Abaya, who is attending another film festival in Osaka, Japan where "Muro-Ami" will be shown for the first time, said "Muro-Ami" is her most personal film to date.

"The film is a very direct expression of my obsession and worship of the sea. All of the characters in it, including the role of Cesar Montano, are composites of the people I know. If I could introduce a part of my spiritual relationship with the sea with an audience that has never been underwater, that would be enough for me," she shared.

As it turned out, the Benodet festival theme, "Quest for Soul," was perfect for the French debut of "Muro-Ami."

The film depicts in part the barnacles eating away at the soul of Montano (as the maestro pescador-master fisherman) in a sea voyage from an obscure Philippine village and beyond.

"For me," said Abaya, "the film is about The Voyage and not about exploitation in the high seas, although that is one of the highlights. I just happened to use the universe of the sea."

The eight other competing films were "Dancer" by Stephen Daldry (United Kingdom), "Rent a Friend" by Eddy Testall (Holland), "Shooting Star" by Hiromitsu Yamanaka (Japan), "The Manuscript of the Prince" by Robert Ando (Italy), "Back to Life" by Pascal Baeumler (France), "The Libra" by Ahmad Reza Darvish (Iran) and "Tierra del Fuego" by Miguel Littin (representing Italy, Spain and Chile).