Filipino actresses Mercedes Cabral and Alessandra de Rossi will take centerstage at the 62nd Cannes International Film Festi­val this May. Two of their respective films are competing for major awards. Mercedes Cabral has two films from two different coun­tries in the Main Competition of the most prestigious film festival in the world.

Cabral stars in the Philippine entry of Brillante Mendoza’s “Kinatay” and Korean Park Chan-wook’s “Thirst.” Both films are vying for the coveted Palme d’Or or Golden Palm, the highest prize in the festival. She said this develop­ment is is beyond her wildest dreams. Cabral is no newcomer to the prestigious event. Last year, she was in the cast of the Philippine entry in the Main Competition, Mendoza’s “Serbis.”

Alessandra de Rossi has two Cannes entries: Raya Martin’s “Independencia” in the Un Cer­tain Regard and Martin and Ad­olfo Alix Jr.’s “Manila” in the Out of Competition/Special Screen­ings section. Alessandra de Rossi “Indepen­dencia” the country’s first entry to Un Certain Regard, is consid­ered the fest’s more experimen­tal and adventurous” section. A historical drama set during the American Occupation. Joining Alessandra in the film are Tetchie Agbayani, Sid Lucero, and Mika Aguilos.

“Manila,” is a twin bill tribute to filmmakers and National Art­ists Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal, and is produced by lead actor Piolo Pascual. In the Korean entry, Cabral, plays a Filipino wife of a Korean, in the vampire movie “Thirst.” The movie includes top South Korean actors Song Kang-ho and Kim Ok-bin. In “Kinatay,” she plays the role of a hit man’s wife