The Film Development Council of the Philippines officially announced the three Filipino films to participate in the 2022 Osaka Asian Film Festival last February 19 on their Facebook page.

The Pinoy films “Big Night!”, by Jun Robles Lana, “Kun Maupay Man It Panahon (Whether the Weather is Fine) by Carlo Francisco Manatad, and “Ikaw at Ako at ang Ending” (You and Me and the Ending) by Irene Villamor were picked to attend the 17th Osaka Film Festival (OAFF) in Japan from March 10 to 21.

The “Big Night!” is a 2021 Philippine black comedy film with a unique humorous take on the war on drugs. It was one of the official entries at the 2021 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) and won 8 trophies. The film fluctuates about a gay hairdresser named Dharna who is later accused of being a drug user, starring Christian Bables. The film is one of the fifteen selected to compete for OAFF’s Grand Pix and Most Promising Talent Awards, which are the festival’s top awards.

“Kun Maupay Man It Panahon” is a Waray film about a mother and her son struggling for survival. It centers around a young man’s search for his mother after Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines, starring Daniel Padilla, Charo Santos-Concio, and Chai Fonacier. The film first premiered at the 74th Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland, where it bagged the Cinema e Gioventù Prize. It later premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival and 2021 MMFF. It will be screened at the festival’s Spotlight section, which features rising films that highlight new talents in cinema.

The last Filipino film to make it to the 2022 OAFF is “Ikaw at Ako at ang Ending” (You and Me and the Ending), starring Kim Molina and Jerald Napoles, which is about a bagman and a hotelkeeper who fall in love with each other and decide to go to the northernmost part of the country, where an unexpected end awaits them. “Ikaw at Ako at ang Ending” will be screened at the festival’s “New Action! Southeast Asia,” a special program that showcases new movements in Southeast Asian cinema.

The OAFF is an annual festival started in 2005 that aims to promote Osaka worldwide and currently introduces Asian films. Best of luck to our participating filmmakers!

Source: https://www.facebook.com/FDCP.ph