From Variety · Jazz Tangcay · · 1m 10s
The Philippines bets on a Sundance breakout
Rafael Manuel's debut feature beat seven other films to become the country's Oscar pick.
In brief
Rafael Manuel's debut feature beat seven other films to become the country's Oscar pick. A first-time director's film is carrying the Philippines into the international feature race, backed by a distributor already calling it the future of cinema. Originally reported by Variety.
The Philippines picks its horse
Rafael Manuel's "Filipiñana" is the country's official entry in the international feature category at the 99th Academy Awards.
It beat seven others
The film came out of a shortlist of eight contenders to win the national selection.
One person, both jobs
Manuel wrote and directed the film. It is his debut feature, and Kino Lorber is handling distribution.
A distributor who saw it early
Kino Lorber chair and CEO Richard Lorber first watched it at Sundance and has been evangelizing it ever since.
“it's nothing short of a cinematic miracle”
Decades in, still surprised
Lorber, a distributor of many years, framed the film as a rare discovery that points somewhere new.
“it feels like a gift that you can still discover something that truly feels like the future of the form”
Already selling tickets
"Filipiñana" is a theatrical hit in North America, and Kino Lorber plans to convert that publicity push into a full awards campaign.
At a glance
A first-time director's film is carrying the Philippines into the international feature race, backed by a distributor already calling it the future of cinema.
