Lino Brocka’s multi-awarded film “Maynila sa Kuko ng Liwanag” (Manila in the Claws of Light) will be the first Filipino film to be part of the prestigious Criterion Collection. Criterion included the 1975 film in its shortlist of titles for distribution through its platform starting 2017.
‘Maynila Sa Kuko Ng Liwanag’ Restoration
According to a report in the Inquirer, the Film Foundation and L’Immagine Ritrovata restored the film in 2013. Around this time, the Cannes’ 2013 Festival Classics Section included it as the only Filipino film in the screening. According to the foundation, this restored version will be available via DVD and Blue Ray through Criterion.
The Film Foundation informed Mike de Leon, the film’s cinematographer and producer, about the news. Previously, the foundation worked with De Leon in the film’s restoration, where he played a critical role in it, a Criterion Cast report said.
Filipino Film Coming To Britain And France
In related news, De Leon shared that the British Film Institute and Paris’ Carlotta Films want to distribute the film in the United Kingdom and France, respectively. Like Criterion, these platforms would help bring the critically-acclaimed film to countries outside of the Philippines.
WATCH: ‘Maynila sa Kuko ng Liwanag’ Trailer via National Film Archives of the Philippines YouTube channel
Film As Reality
It won various awards including Best Picture and Best Director at the 1976 FAMAS awards. Many consider the film as reflective of the reality of the times (e.g. Manila in the 1970s). Because of this, it always finds itself part of the world’s top 100 films. Only a few Filipino films have been able to achieve this.
“Maynila” reflects city life during the turbulent 1970s, where wide-eyed, naive “probinsiyanos” fall prey to people who take advantage of them. The movie’s story revolves around Julio, a young man from Marinduque and his search for his sweetheart Ligaya, who is supposed to be getting an education in Manila. Julio’s struggle to survive in the city while trying to get Ligaya out from the brothel where she is forced to work is the central plot.
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