Nadine Lustre, John Lloyd Cruz lead 2023 Gawad Urian nominees

MANILA, Philippines — The Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino revealed the nominees for the 2023 Gawad Urian Awards, the ceremony's 46th edition.

Sundance Film Festival 2022 darling "Leonor Will Never Die" and Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival 2022 Special Jury Prize winner "Blue Room" led all nominees with 10 nods, closely followed by Lav Diaz's "Kapag Wala Nang Mga Alon" with nine nominations.

All three are up for Best Film, with another Cinemalaya 2022 film, "12 Weeks," by Anna Isabelle Matutina, having six nominations. Matutina and the directors of the previous three films, Martika Ramirez Escobar, Ma-an L. Asuncion-Dagñalan and Lav Diaz, are all up for Best Director.

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Also with notable multiple nominations were Filipino-Irish movie "Nocebo" with seven, Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) 2022 big winner "Deleter" with five and Cinemalaya 2022 Best Picture "The Baseball Player" with four nods.

A fourth Cinemalaya 2022 entry, "Ginhawa," got three nominations, MMFF 2022 film and Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) 2023 big winner "Family Matters" and Japan's entry to the 2023 Academy Awards, "Plan 75," each had two nods. Netflix film "Doll House" and MMFF 2022 3rd Best Picture "Nanahimik Ang Gabi" nabbed one nomination each. 

Veteran actor Jaime Fabregas will be the recipient of the Natatanging Gawad Urian, an award previously given to filmmaking animator Roxlee, actresses Vilma Santos and Nora Aunor, and the previously mentioned Diaz.

The 46th Gawad Urian Night will take place at the University of the Philippines Film Institute on November 29. 

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Here are the full list of nominees:

BEST FILM
"Blue Room"
"Leonor Will Never Die"
"12 Weeks"
"Kapag Wala Na Ang Mga Alon"

BEST DIRECTOR
Ma-an L. Asuncion-Dagñalan for "Blue Room" - Asuncion-Dagñalan won this category at Cinemalaya 2022 
Lav Diaz for "Kapag Wala Nang Mga Alon"
Martika Ramirez Escobar for "Leonor Will Never Die"
Anna Isabelle Matutina for "12 Weeks"
Carlo Obispo for "The Baseball Player"
Mikhail Red