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Jai Stefan, Andy Garcia, and Paul Soriano arrive for the screening of the film "Diamond" at the 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival on May 19, 2026.
AFP / Thibaud Moritz
MANILA, Philippines — Filipino film director Paul Soriano hit the Cannes Film Festival red carpet for the premiere of "Diamond" which was directed, written, co-produced, co-composed and stars Andy Garcia.
Soriano — who wore a black Barong Tagalog by Avel Bacudio — is a producer on the movie, premiering at Cannes out of competition, through his Black Cap Pictures alongside Shrink Media and Garcia's CineSon Entertainment.
The film stars Garcia as the titular private detective haunted by his past who "uses his exceptional wit and keen observation skills to uncover hidden truths and solve crimes."
Co-starring with Garcia are Vicky Krieps, Brendan Fraser, Rosemarie DeWitt, Bill Murray, Dustin Hoffman, Danny Huston and Robert Patrick.
The morning after "Diamond" premiered, Garcia shared in a presser that he had tried for years to pitch the story to television networks, however, no one bought his 60-page pilot treatment.
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He also said that he, Soriano, and fellow producers Jai Stefan and Frank Mancuso Jr. made the film independently.
"We financed it completely independently and then sent it to Thierry (Frémaux) and said we hope you like it," Garcia recalled the movie's submission to Cannes. "And then we got a call back. They said we love your movie and we'd like to have you here."
Garcia had previously directed the 1993 documentary "Cachao… Como Su Ritmo No Hay Dos" and 2005's "The Lost City," while his last film at Cannes was "Ocean's Thirteen" nearly two decades ago.
Soriano was at the prestigious film festival last year for Lav Diaz's "Magellan," the Philippines' Oscars 2026 entry, which starred Gael Garcia Bernal as the titular explorer, which the director also co-produced.
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