| Director: | Raymund Ribay Gutierrez |
|---|---|
| Production: | Centerstage Productions (Brillante Ma Mendoza), Films Boutique (Nicolas Brigaud-Robert, Jean Christophe Simon) |
| Running Time: | 126’ |
| Language: | Filipino, English |
| Country: | Philippines, France |
| Main Cast: | Max Eigenmann, Kristoffer King, Jorden Suan, Rene Durian |
| Screenplay: | Raymund Ribay Gutierrez |
| Cinematographer: | Joshua A.Reyles |
| Editor: | Diego Marx Dobles |
| Production Designer: | Ryan Faustino |
| Sound: | Brian Dumaguina |
| Visual Effects: | Marvin Jose |
Cinema
Verdict
Orizzonti
Synopsis
Joy and her six-year-old daughter Angel live in Manila, with her husband, Dante, a small-time criminal. As so often in the past, Dante comes home drunk at night and beats Joy brutally. This time, he also hurts Angel. Joy grabs her daughter and flees to the local police post to finally get him sent to jail. Justice, Joy learns, takes time at best and is impossible to get at worst. Not without reason, she feels that she and her daughter are increasingly under threat.
Director’s Statement
Domestic violence is the most prevalent form of abuse in the Philippines. My interest in making a film about this topic was raised when I came across a mother mending bruises all over her body while undergoing a medico-legal check-up. Apparently, she had been physically abused by her husband during an altercation at home. Upon following-up on her case recently, I found out that she didn’t push through with the case against her husband due to its impracticality.
The cost of pursuing a case in the Philippines is astronomically high for an average Filipino. Under these circumstances, society sees and expects the legal system to be equal in every aspect, for the defendant as well as for the victim. What I am trying to show in the film is that sometimes equality in litigation leads to a more complex procedure that in turn results in impunity for the perpetrator. Orderly judicial procedures are important, but if they are the only focus, they threaten to pervert the justice they seek.
There are times when justice needs to be timely in order to be justice at all. If getting a verdict takes unreasonable and inordinate time, proceedings take away the meaning of seeking justice in the first place.
Producers/Distributors
PRODUCTION 1: Brillante Ma Mendoza - Centerstage Productions
947 Busilak St. Barangka Drive
1550 – Mandaluyong, Philippines
Tel. + 49 3069537850
contact@filmsboutique.com
PRODUCTION 2: Nicolas Brigaud-Robert,Jean-Christophe Simon – Films Boutique
5, rue Nicolas Flamel
75004 – Paris, France
Tel. + 49 3069537850
simon@filmsboutique.com
WORLD SALES: Balsan Louis - Films Boutique
Köpenicker Straße 184
10997 – Berlin, Germany
Tel. + 49 3069537850
contact@filmsboutique.com
PRESS OFFICE: Claudia Tomassini & associates - International Film Publicity
Claudia Tommassini Mobile: +49 173 205 5794
claudia@claudiatomassini.com Cristina Casati
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