The Blossoming Of Maximo Oliveros
Directed by Auraeus Solito
Philippines, 2005, Tagalog.

In “BLOSSOMING,” the purity of love is pitted against the squalor and corruption found in the slums of Manila. Gay, pre-teen Maxi serves as “mother” to his all-male family of small-time criminals. He cooks and cleans for his father and older brothers, who accept his femininity and adore Maxi as much as he adores them. Their love and trust is threatened by the arrival of Victor, a handsome and unusually honest police officer who rescues Maxi one night from an assault. Maxi and Victor develop an affectionate friendship, at the same time Victor is investigating Maxi's brothers. Maxi ends up caught between his loyalty to his family and his love for Victor.

Auraeus Solito – Director
Auraeus Solito won the Golden Zenith Award at the Montreal World Film Festival for his first feature, The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros . His second feature, Tuli (Circumcision) , won best film and best director awards at the CineManila Digital Competition. Solito's documentary, Basal Banar (The Scared Ritual of Truth), is also a multiple award winner. As an Asian Public Intellectual Fellow of the Nippon Foundation, Japan, Solito is currently making a documentary on island rituals in Okinawa and Borneo. He traces his roots to the Indigenous Palaw'an tribe of South Palawan, Philippines.

Awards and Festivals
2006 Berlin International Film Festival - Best Feature Film
2005 Cinema Independent Film Festival - Special Jury Prize
2006 Las Palmas Film Festival - Best Actor
2006 Sundance Film Festival - Grand Jury Prize Nomination