Philippine film ‘Whether the Weather is Fine’ wins at the 74th Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland
Globe Studios achieved another prestigious international award with its film Kun Maupay Man It Panahon (Whether the Weather is Fine). It won the Youth Jury Prize in the recent 74th Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland.
The film was produced alongside local production houses. They are Cinematografica, Plan C, House on Fire, Quantum Films, iWanTFC, Dreamscape, Blacksheep, and CBM Films. Alongside international partners AAND Company (Singapore), KawanKawan Media (Indonesia), and Weydemann Bros. (Germany).
Furthermore, the film becomes the only Philippine film selected to compete in the Locarno Festival’s Filmmakers of the Present Competition. The festival is known for highlighting works from up-and-coming directors around the world.
The movie features Daniel Padilla, Rans Rifol, and Charo Santos-Concio. It focuses on the story of a young man fighting to survive while searching desperately for missing loved ones.
It was based on Director Carlo Manatad’s own experiences from the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda. The typhoon is one of the most powerful typhoons in history which devastated coastal regions in the Central Philippines eight years ago.
“The Cinema e Gioventu Award means a lot for me as a young filmmaker. As someone who just started delving into feature filmmaking, cinema for me, has always been a medium that transcends national and cultural boundaries. I am humbled and excited by this recognition and will continue to work hard in giving a voice to my fellow Filipinos through stories that have yet to be told.”
In addition, the film is the only Filipino film that got invited to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this year. It will be featured from September 9-18, 2021, under the Contemporary World Cinema section.
Quark Henares, Head of Globe Studios said,
“Globe Studios plays a role in telling the stories of ordinary Filipinos. We fund and produce films that we see would allow audiences, local and foreign, to better appreciate our unique culture. The film project (Whether the Weather is Fine) was already greenlit when I came into Globe Studios and even then, I knew it was a great story to tell — one that would not only enlighten its audiences, but also inspire the Filipinos amid these trying times.”
Henares also shared that the creative partnership between him and the other creators is integral to the final cut. Co-writer Gian Abraham, director Carlo Manatad, producer Armi Cacanindin, and executive producer Jojie Alonso are among them.
Another short film by Manatad that Globe Studios co-produced was The Imminent Immanent. It also had its world premiere in TIFF in 2018. A year before, Manatad’s Jodilerks Dela Cruz, Employee of the Year, was also presented at the same venue.
