January 16, 2025 — Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF), in partnership with FilipinoBC, features a series of Lino Brocka’s films at the VIFF Centre movie theatre from January 10th to the 16th to spotlight the 4K restoration of the film “Bona”, which was thought lost in a fire.
Among the films to be presented are: "Bona ","Manila In the Claws of Light ","Insiang ", and documentaries “Signed: Lino Brocka”, and “National Anarchist: Lino Brocka”. One of the “Manila In the Claws of Night” showings will also feature live jazz music before the screening by Filipino band Kuyatet, led by composer/keyboardist Victor Noriega.
Brocka (1939-1991) was an ex-Mormon, an open member of the queer community, and an anti-authoritarian political activist during the Marcos dictatorship. After his death, he was given the National Artist of the Philippines for Film award for his contributions to the Philippine arts. He directed over forty films on subjects like poverty, the treatment of women, gender, and being queer. One such film, “Macho Dancer”(1988), was heavily censored when released due to its political themes and sexual content. To evade this, Brocka smuggled an uncensored copy of the film out of the Philippines, now in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
Tom Charity, the VIFF Centre year-round programmer, in an interview with Canadian Filipino Net, explained the desired impacts of the series. “Usually VIFF will show one or two Filipino movies each year at the festival, but that’s about it,” he said. “It’s been a good while since [Brocka’s] works have been celebrated here in Vancouver, and I hope this series will give Filipino Canadians and everyone else the chance to see three of his strongest films on the big screen.
Brocka’s films also offer a chance for first generation Canadian Filipinos to understand how the Philippines was during the Marcos dictatorship. Charity states “His films meld melodrama with neo-realism. He made a point of shooting on the streets, often in shanty towns and slums, which is one of the things that angered Imelda Marcos at the time, because she felt culture should promote a positive impression of the country.” The films offer an uncensored look into life in the Philippines omitted from media.
VIFF will continue to feature Canadian-Filipino artists in the future. On February 1st, Canadian-Filipino keyboardist Mary Ancheta will join the performance of the event “Feven Kidane & Tiny Pyramids Play the Music of Sun Ra”. For future demonstrations of Filipino works, visit viff.org. The film series, “Citizen Artist Activist… Lino Brocka”, can be found at this link.
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