The restored classic starring National Artist Nora Aunor, which returned to Cannes this year, is finally screening locally
Lino Brocka’s “Bona” was screened at the Directors’ Fortnight at the Festival de Cannes in 1981 a year after the Nora Aunor-led film was released. Brocka was hot off the heels of his Palme d’Or nomination—the highest honor in the French international film festival—the year before for “Jaguar.” Four decades later, welcoming its restored version back into its revered silver screen, the Cannes described it as “a film that had been left to languish from the moment it was released.”
“Bona,” according to the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), has remained largely unseen until it was rediscovered by University of Illinois professor Jose B. Capino while researching for his book on Brocka.
“Brocka was known for espousing the term ‘freedom of expression’ in the Philippine Constitution,” read the CCP website. “Brocka took his social activist spirit to the screen, leaving behind 66 films which breathed life and hope for the marginalized sectors of society—slum-dwellers, prostitutes, construction workers.”
Aunor stars as the titular character, a middle-class girl who falls for a small-time actor played by Phillip Salvador, who soon takes her in only to treat her as a help. The actor, singer, and “Bona” producer—a superstar in her own right—had made a name for herself then as a national sweetheart but she wanted to break away from mainstream stardom and decided to do more arthouse films, which the National Artist for Film Brocka is known for.
“In this role, she remains practically silent throughout, and is subjected to humiliation without ever reacting or standing up for herself,” Cannes described her performance. “The actor’s performance is searing in its expressive simplicity, all the way up to the magnificent final revolt.”
‘Bona’ 4K restoration comes home
The version that premiered at the Cannes Festival last May and that will be screened at the University of the Philippines Film Institute (UPFI) Film Center in Quezon City this coming Sept. 5 was an initiative of French film distribution company Carlotta Films and home video label and Asian cinema advocate in North America Kani Releasing.
READ: He went from being rejected by Mike de Leon to spotlighting Filipino films on the Criterion Channel
The original 35mm image was restored to 4K at the Cité de Mémoire laboratory in Paris, France. The audio meanwhile was restored from the negatives preserved by LTC Patrimoine and was handled by L.E. Diapason.
“Bona” will also be part of the 2024 edition of the Cannes Classics in September. Its French premier this Sept. 25 will be graced by Vincent Paul-Boncour, the director and co-founder of Carlotta Films. Its US and Canada release is also slated for late this year.
As for local cinephiles, who may have missed its premiere at the closing of this year’s Cinemalaya Film Festival earlier this month, for P200 (P150 discounted price for students, senior citizens, PWDs, and government employees with ID) you can watch it at the UPFI Film Center on Sept. 5, 5 p.m.
According to the UPFI Film Center’s Facebook page, the screening is open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis, and tickets will be available at the cinema entrance an hour before screen time.