Soon to premiere as part of the Director's Fortnight program in Cannes is Auraeus Solito's Busong. Reportedly the first film ever made in the Palawanon language - the native peoples of the Philippines - the picture is a fantasy tinged fable about a young woman who cannot touch the ground without experiencing intense pain. Here's how the festival describes it:
Produced and edited by Chuck Gutierrez - a friend of Twitch going back to the days when he was working with Yam Laranas on Sigaw - Twitch is proud to share the official trailer for the film. Take a look below.Busong is the indigenous Palawan concept of Fate or instant Karma. Nature reacts instantly to man's disrespect of nature and other men. Punay was born with wounds in her feet so that she cannot step on the earth. Her brother, Angkarang, carries her through a hammock, as he searches the changing landscape of Palawan in hoping to find a healer who can cure Punay. Different people help him carry his sister along the way- a woman looking for her husband, a fisherman who lost his boat and a young man who is searching for himself- and each one meets their fate. The first Palawanon indigenous film.
"Instant karma": one of my favorite concepts! This film looks beautifully filmed and I'm intrigued by its indigenous narrative. Ever since the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival had their spotlight on Philippine cinema, and Francis Cruz has joined the Twitch team, I've been attentive to their national output.
Francis, have you been privy to this project? Any word?
Excellent. Thanks for getting back.
Oh yeah, it's also the first part of a supposed trilogy. While this one's very good, Auraeus' script for Delubyo (Deluge) is even more ambitious. I hope that one gets made.