Thy Bomb
Philippines
|
2012
|
Color
|
106 min
This directory compiles the glossaries from all editions of Cines del Sur: eleven already held and the twelfth currently underway. It serves as a living memory of the festival, its films, guests, sections, and spaces for reflection on the cinemas of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Arab world. Here you can trace the evolution of its programming, rediscover filmmakers, and follow the thematic threads that have defined Cines del Sur's identity as a meeting point for cultures, perspectives, and ways of understanding cinema from the Global South.
Shaleha Sarail is from Sitangkai, a village in the middle of the sea in the province of Tawi-Tawi, a seaweed-producing region in the southernmost part of the Philippines, near the Malay and Indonesian archipelagos. Over the years, and still grieving three miscarriages, Shaleha is distressed by her inability to bear children. Although she is an adoptive mother to her nephew, she knows her husband, Bangas-An, longs to be a father. To fulfill her husband's sole wish and to be blessed by Allah – believing that having a child is a tangible sign of divine grace – Shaleha decides to find a new partner for her husband. Day and night, Shaleha and her husband sail from their floating village to the nearby island villages in search of a fertile woman.
Technical Details
Direction:
Brillante Mendoza
Cinematography:
Odyssey Flores
Music:
Teresa Barrozo
Language:
Tagalog, Sinama, and Tausug
Production:
Larry Castillo
Art Direction:
Dante Mendoza
Sound:
Albert Michael Idoma
Subtitles:
English and Spanish
Screenplay:
Henry Burgos
Editing:
Kats Serraon
Cast:
Nora Aunor (Shaleha Sarail), Bembol Roco (Bangas-An), Mercedes Cabral (Ayesha), Lovi Poe (Mersila)
Director
Brillante Mendoza
Born in San Fernando, Philippines, in 1960. He studied Advertising at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. He began his career as a production designer on various projects for television, theater, and film. In 2005, he directed his debut feature: The Masseur, which won the Golden Leopard in the video section of the Locarno International Film Festival. With Foster Child in 2007, Mendoza began to define his style: long tracking shots through Manila's impoverished neighborhoods and naturalistic performances from non-professional actors. His next work, Tirador, highlighted the difficulty of escaping violence in the capital's suburbs. In 2008, Service became the first Filipino film to compete in the Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival since 1984. A year later, Butchered won the Best Director Award. With Thy Womb, Mendoza has garnered fourteen awards at various international festivals.
