Filipino indie gets rave review in US, lands French sales agent

PEPE Diokno directs Ruru Madrid (foreground, seated) in “Above the Clouds.”

Pepe Diokno’s second full-length feature film “Above the Clouds” earned a rave review from the US trade publication Hollywood Reporter. Critic Clarence Tsui, who reported that the Filipino-French coproduction was shown at Berlin’s European Film Market, described it as an “emotional journey … about grief and loss.”

Tsui said Diokno “has morphed and matured” since winning two prizes in Venice for his “gritty” debut “Engkwentro” in 2009. “His sophomore effort swaps subtle storytelling and sumptuous visuals for his former preoccupations with genre filth and fury,” Tsui said.

Diokno was praised for “[not stooping] to caricature or cliché as he highlights the differences between young and old, modernity and tradition … Instead, he unceasingly celebrates the beauty of rural Philippines.”

The reviewer likewise commended the cinematography of Carlo Mendoza (“stirring survey of the landscape”) and the music of Johann Mendoza (“heightens the drama within”).

Also cited were the performances of lead actors Pepe Smith and Ruru Madrid: “Finely tuned to [the director’s] scheme of subtle things.”

The critic batted for “further festival bookings and ancillary action” for the film, which premiered in Tokyo and competed in Singapore.

“Above the Clouds” was picked up by French sales agent Doc & Film International, according to producer Bianca Balbuena. Bayani San Diego Jr.