Manila, Philippines - He did it again.

Brillante Mendoza’s “Lola” has won the Muhr AsiaAfrica best feature film award at the 6th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) held at the Madinat Jumeriah Complex in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Wednesday evening.

Two Filipino grandmothers (played by Anita Linda and Rustica Caprio) scraping a living to get by in Manila's slums are at the center of Mendoza's critically-acclaimed film. It is a story about the resourcefulness of people living in abject poverty.

This latest award is an addition to Mendoza's string of achievements in international competitions.

In May, the film maker won the best director prize at the 62nd International Cannes Film Festival for his film "Kinatay," with Coco Martin as the lead star. He also won the best international director plum at the 42nd Sitges Film Festival awards rites last October 12 for the same film.

Mendoza, who just exhibited “Lola” at the main competition of the recently concluded 66th Venice International Film Festival, personally accepted the award in Dubai. He thanked the jurors for his victory.

In a text message, Mendoza, also known as Dante Mendoza, extended his gratitude to the Filipino people who have been his inspiration to produce internationally acclaimed masterpieces.

“Kahit na hindi pinapansin ng mga Filipino ang mga pelikula ko dahil kokonti lang ang nanonood, patuloy akong gagawa ng mga ito para sa tagumpay nating lahat,” said Mendoza.

Immediately after receiving his award, Mendoza called his friends and colleagues to tell them about the good news.

“Lola” scriptwriter Lynda Casimiro, who works for ABS-CBN’s creative division, was the first one to break the news to the media.

“Ngayong araw na ito ang dating ni Dante. Hindi na nga raw ma-contain ang kanyang excitement sa panalo ng ‘Lola’,” said Casimiro.

“Lola” is Casimiro’s first crack at screenplay writing for film after 28 years in the business.

“Inihahandog niya ang award na ito sa mga Filipino,” stressed Casimiro whose inspiration in writing the film is her penchant for real stories taken from real news events.

“Nanonood ako ng primetime news sa TV nang mapanood ko ang dalawang klase ng lola. Ang isa, nagdedemanda sa pagkamatay ng kanyang apo sa saksak samantalang ang isa, inililigtas sa parusa ang apong pumatay,” said Casimiro.

“Lola” followed that storyline, which Mendoza adapted very keenly and infused his creative concepts to make the film more cinematic.

DIFF is considered one of the leading film events in the world, which encourages the free artistic expression of filmmakers from Asia, Africa and the Arab territories.

A total of 28 prizes were distributed for excellence in acting, cinematography, editing, music and scriptwriting in addition to the jury general excellence awards, according to the DIFF Web site.

The entries were from more than 62 nations across Asia, Africa, the Americas, Australia and Europe competing in 3 categories -documentaries, short films and feature films.

See full winners here

“Lola,” along with other Muhr AsiaAfrica award winning films, will be screened at Cinestar cinemas at Mall of the Emirates on Friday.