10 February 2016 - The Vesoul Majestic Theater’s largest screening room of almost 400 seats was filled to capacity during the first night screening of Lawrence Fajardo’s multi-awarded independent film, Imbisibol. Co-produced by critically-acclaimed Philippine director Brillante Mendoza, Imbisibol narrates the lives of Filipino migrant workers in Japan in the 1990s. The film invites its viewers to share in the struggles of these workers as they toil in various jobs, most of which are menial – some even dangerous  –  as illegal immigrants to provide for their families and loved ones in the Philippines. The film, in its debut in France, is in competition with eight other films, for the 22nd International Festival of Asian Films in Vesoul, France.

Director Lawrence Fajardo, along with his wife and producer, Krisma Maclang Fajardo and screenwriter John Bedia, were present during the screening and answered questions from the audience after the film. Fajardo explains: “The life of a migrant worker is not simply a life full of heroic deeds; it is a battle for survival. It is a battle not for existence, but for non-existence. The story aims to present the characters as normal people – fighting, striving, struggling everyday to provide for their families, to survive deportation, to thrive against discrimination. The film wants to humanize the migrant workers, to present the personal portraits of the invisible not as superheroes, but as real people with real struggles, with real personal dilemmas.”

Imbisibol also won Best Film and six other awards during the Sinag Maynila Independent Film Awards Ceremony in March 2015 in Manila, the Philippines. The film has also been screened in Tokyo, Fukuoka and Toronto Film Festivals in 2015.

Representing Philippine Ambassador to France Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro during the screening was Third Secretary and Vice Consul Andre Estanislao, Cultural Affairs officer of the Embassy. Mr. Estanislao also met with Vesoul’s Deputy and Mayor Alain Chretien to ensure that Philippine national interests are promoted in the region through arts and culture, especially through film. END