Through programs such as A Curation of World Cinema, the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) has brought titles from all over the world to the Philippines, such as Flow, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, Dahomey, and more. Now, FDCP chairman Jose Javier Reyes has announced that they will be bringing multiple Cannes films to the Philippines by the end of the year.
“We got all these [films] kasi alam namin na walang local distributor na kukuha niyan,” said Reyes during a September 8 interview with Antoinette Jadaone and JP Habac on their podcast, Ang Walang Kwentang Podcast. “So ngayon, ipapalabas namin ‘yan sa mga sinehan for film students and for people like you who love films and [who] can’t gain access to these [films].”
The films in question were among the highlights of this year’s Cannes Film Festival lineup. Among the films Reyes announced was Sentimental Value, the Joachim Trier-directed Norwegian family drama starring Stellan Skarsgård, Elle Fanning, and Renate Reinsve. German filmmaker Mascha Schilinski’s Sound of Falling is also on Reyes’ list, following four generations of women connected by a farm in Altmark, Germany.
It Was Just an Accident, whose Iranian director Jafar Panahi won the festival’s coveted Palme d’Or, will also be screened. The thriller was inspired by Panahi’s time imprisoned by the Iranian government, and was first made upon the director’s release from prison in 2023.
The final film on Reyes’ lineup is the Brazilian thriller drama The Secret Agent, directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho.
“That’s the whole fun of it, that we can make this available to you guys,” added Reyes. “Kasi nung panahon namin, wala! Pupunta ka at maghahanap ka ng pirated DVDs… now we’re making it available to you for the full cinematic experience.”
