Hilda Koronel in Cannes with husband Ralph Moore in 2013 for the screening of “Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag”. Photo courtesy of the Film Development Council of the Philippines.
MANILA, Philippines–A digitally restored version of Lino Brocka’s 1976 film “Insiang” will be shown in this year’s Cannes International Film Festival, under the Cannes Classics section.
“Insiang,” which top-bills Hilda Koronel and Mona Lisa, was first shown in Cannes in 1978, under the Section Parallèll/Directors’ Fortnight section.
According to the fest’s website, “Insiang” bears the distinction of being “the first Filipino feature film to be presented at Cannes.”
Brocka and Koronel attended the Cannes fest in 1978.
“Insiang” was restored through the efforts of The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project, L’Immagine Ritrovata and the Film Development Council of the Philippines.
In 2013, Brocka’s “Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag” was also restored by the same organizations and presented in the Cannes Classics section.
This year, “Insiang” will be screened alongside films by Costas Gavras (“Z”), Luis Puenzo (“La Historia Oficial”), along with an Orson Welles centennial presentation (“Citizen Kane,” “The Lady from Shanghai”).
Another Filipino film, Brillante Ma. Mendoza’s “Taklub,” will likewise be shown in this year’s Cannes, in the Un Certain Regard section.
The Cannes International Film Festival will be held in south of France, from May 13 to 24.