17 October 2016 – The Philippine Embassy in Israel hails the inclusion of the acclaimed Filipino film “Ma’ Rosa” in the 32nd Haifa International Film Festival. The film, by director Brillante Mendoza, will premiere at the Haifa Cinematheque on October 17 and at the Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art on October 24. “Ma’Rosa” will be screened together with the short film “Imago”.
Philippine Ambassador to Israel Neal Imperial commended the film’s participation in the film festival as a confirmation of the high quality of films being created by Filipino film makers in recent years.
“What we are witnessing is a new Golden Age of Philippine cinema and we are proud to showcase Mendoza’s powerful film in Israel,” he added.
“Ma' Rosa” is a 2016 Filipino drama film narrating the life of Rosa (portrayed by Ms. Jaclyn Jose), who owns a small convenience store but resorted to selling illegal drugs to be able to meet her family’s financial needs. Ma' Rosa competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, where Ms. Jose won the Best Actress award. It has been selected as the Filipino entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards.
The 32nd Haifa International Film Festival is scheduled to be held from October 15 to 24. The festival is held each year during the Jewish holiday of Succoth and was founded in 1983. It was the first of its kind in Israel and over the years, the festival has become the biggest and most important film festival in Israel. END