Production has started in the Philippines on Filipino-Australian artist James J. Robinson’s debut feature, First Light, starring Ruby Ruiz.
The UK’s Independent Entertainment is representing global sales, excluding Australia and New Zealand. Bonsai Films will distribute the film theatrically in Australia and New Zealand.
Ruiz, known for Lulu Wang’s Expats, stars alongside veteran Filipino star Maricel Soriano, whose credits include Mother Nanny. Rounding out the cast is Rez Cortez, Soliman Cruz and Kidlat Tahimik.
It is set in the remote mountains of the Philippines, where the death of a young construction worker forces an elderly nun to...
The UK’s Independent Entertainment is representing global sales, excluding Australia and New Zealand. Bonsai Films will distribute the film theatrically in Australia and New Zealand.
Ruiz, known for Lulu Wang’s Expats, stars alongside veteran Filipino star Maricel Soriano, whose credits include Mother Nanny. Rounding out the cast is Rez Cortez, Soliman Cruz and Kidlat Tahimik.
It is set in the remote mountains of the Philippines, where the death of a young construction worker forces an elderly nun to...
- 4/25/2024
- ScreenDaily
Multi award-winning Filipina actress Ruby Ruiz has landed her first major screen role following her appearance in Amazon’s “Expats.” She will lead “First Light,” the feature directorial debut of James. J. Robinson.
Principal photography is now underway on the Australian-Filipino co-production, which comes with funding from Screen Australia. Veteran actress Maricel Soriano (“Mother Nanny”), Rez Cortez (“Bukal”), Soliman Cruz (“Blue Room”) and Kidlat Tahimik round out the cast.
Set in the remote mountains of the Philippines, “First Light” sees the death of a young construction worker force an elderly nun to confront the muddied ethics of an institution she has dedicated her life to. The script, also by Robinson, is a deeply personal story exploring the intersection of duty, faith and institutional power.
“Developing ‘First Light’ over the past two years has been an incredibly profound journey into the heart of pre-colonial Filipino philosophy,” Robinson said. “To be able...
Principal photography is now underway on the Australian-Filipino co-production, which comes with funding from Screen Australia. Veteran actress Maricel Soriano (“Mother Nanny”), Rez Cortez (“Bukal”), Soliman Cruz (“Blue Room”) and Kidlat Tahimik round out the cast.
Set in the remote mountains of the Philippines, “First Light” sees the death of a young construction worker force an elderly nun to confront the muddied ethics of an institution she has dedicated her life to. The script, also by Robinson, is a deeply personal story exploring the intersection of duty, faith and institutional power.
“Developing ‘First Light’ over the past two years has been an incredibly profound journey into the heart of pre-colonial Filipino philosophy,” Robinson said. “To be able...
- 4/25/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
“Insiang” is a landmark for Filipino cinema. It was the first film to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival, the first to be shot in the slums of Tondo, in Manila, while in 2015, Martin Scorsese’s The Film Foundation picked it for restoration, with the new version playing again in Cannes among a number of other festivals. Furthermore, Lamberto Antonio (occasionally mentioned as the Philippine Salvatore Quasimodo), one of the scriptwriters is considered one of the best Filipino poets, while Mario O’Hara, the other one, was also a successful director who directed a theater version of the film some years later (info courtesy of Khavn).
Poverty, misery, drunkenness, and gambling rule the shanty town of Tondo, where people barely make a living through mostly odd jobs. Insiang is one of the few exceptions of true beauty in this setting, although her life is by no means easier due to the fact.
Poverty, misery, drunkenness, and gambling rule the shanty town of Tondo, where people barely make a living through mostly odd jobs. Insiang is one of the few exceptions of true beauty in this setting, although her life is by no means easier due to the fact.
- 11/4/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
If, within art cinema, there comes the instant gravitation to less the film than the name — the all-powerful auteur that supposedly doesn’t have to bow down to corporate masters — then even with a film as immediately striking as 1976’s Insiang, we begin with its author, Lino Brocka. Even in a life cut tragically short, he left enough of a mark to still be considered the Philippines’ greatest filmmaker, amongst his laurels being the nation’s first director to play in competition at Cannes. A particular association made with him was an outspoken criticism of the Philippines’ dictator-in-chief, Ferdinand Marcos.
But carrying that expectation over to Insiang, even without one mention of Marcos’ name throughout the film, the presence of both a fundamentally rotten authority and people left to fend for themselves in poverty leans a viewer, even the uninformed, towards assuming a greater institutional critique. Yet to quickly sum...
But carrying that expectation over to Insiang, even without one mention of Marcos’ name throughout the film, the presence of both a fundamentally rotten authority and people left to fend for themselves in poverty leans a viewer, even the uninformed, towards assuming a greater institutional critique. Yet to quickly sum...
- 4/8/2016
- by Ethan Vestby
- The Film Stage
Bwakaw
Written by Jun Robles Lana
Directed by Jun Robles Lana
Bwakaw is a movie full of quiet surprises, and the great pleasure of watching it results from the matter-of-fact way the script leisurely unfurls its secrets and piles layer upon layer on what initially appears to be an uncomplicated story. At first glance, Rene (Eddie Garcia) seems like your standard grumpy old man bitter about how life has treated him, but then comes the somewhat unexpected revelation that Rene is gay and his grumpiness isn’t just part of his personality but it stems from a lifetime of denial and deferred happiness considering he only came to terms with his sexuality very late in life.
Now in his seventies, Rene has stopped putting off happiness and has just given up on it. He focuses all his energy on performing a job he’s already retired from and preparing for his eventual demise.
Written by Jun Robles Lana
Directed by Jun Robles Lana
Bwakaw is a movie full of quiet surprises, and the great pleasure of watching it results from the matter-of-fact way the script leisurely unfurls its secrets and piles layer upon layer on what initially appears to be an uncomplicated story. At first glance, Rene (Eddie Garcia) seems like your standard grumpy old man bitter about how life has treated him, but then comes the somewhat unexpected revelation that Rene is gay and his grumpiness isn’t just part of his personality but it stems from a lifetime of denial and deferred happiness considering he only came to terms with his sexuality very late in life.
Now in his seventies, Rene has stopped putting off happiness and has just given up on it. He focuses all his energy on performing a job he’s already retired from and preparing for his eventual demise.
- 10/8/2012
- by Kenneth
- SoundOnSight
Dogs are thought to be man’s best friend, at their owners’ sides in sickness and in health. But can people be selfless enough to return the favor? In writer/director Jun Robles Lana’s Bwakaw, the eponymous dog (canine star “Princess”) comes into the life of elderly, curmudgeonly loner Rene (Eddie Garcia) and thus injects him with a newfound sense of humanity. While the story is somewhat of a retread of many “inspirational dog” films, like My Dog Skip or Hachiko: A Dog’s Story, it is executed fairly well, and the man and dog have great chemistry to propel the story and draw in viewer interest despite its flaws. The recently retired Rene lives alone and without the 21st century comfort of electricity. His only friend is former stray Bwakaw, who he still keeps at arm’s length, as she only lives on his porch. Nevertheless, Bwakaw is glued to Rene’s side as he...
- 10/3/2012
- by Caitlin Hughes
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
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