The "Chula World Film Series 2023" will conclude with a screening of Ma' Rosa, at Dr Tiam Chokwadhana Auditorium, Faculty of Communication Arts, Chulalongkorn University, Phaya Thai Road, tomorrow at 5.30pm.
Presented by the Department of Film, the Filipino drama tells of Rosa, her husband Nestor and their three children who run a convenience store in a crowded chawl of Manila, while also peddling drugs to make ends meet.
Rosa is a good mother, wife and friend, but her life changes when she and her husband are arrested by the police for selling drugs. The rest of the film takes place in a police station, where they negotiate with the police personnel to be set free, and it costs the family a lot, in more ways than one.
Directed by Brillante Ma Mendoza, it's a simple story with a powerful impact, pulsatingly told in verite style and real-time with a hand-held camera. In many ways, Mendoza is the progenitor of new-wave cinema in the Philippines.
He's one of the country's most celebrated directors, having won awards at the top three film festivals in the world -- Cannes, Berlin and Venice. His oeuvre of 20 films has won accolades around the world, and he's served on many international juries.
Rosa, played by veteran Filipino artist Jaclyn Jose, won the best actress award at the prestigious Cannes Festival, and since then, the film has created waves around the world.
The Philippines' ambassador to Thailand, Millicent Cruz Paredes, will introduce the film. There will be a Zoom question and answer session with the director after the screening.
The film comes with English subtitles. There is no admission fee but reservations are required.
Email chulafilm2019@gmail.com.
