‘Paki’ goes to Amsterdam

Cast of “Paki (Please/Care)”

Giancarlo Abrahan’s “Paki” (Please/Care) will be screened at the CinemAsia Film Festival in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from March 7 to 12.

According to the fest’s website, Abrahan’s film, which won the top prize at the Cinema One Originals last year, “seamlessly weaves timeless familial conflicts with wit and humor.”

The fest calls Abrahan one of the Philippines’ “most stylish young writer-directors” and commends his sophomore outing for bearing his “signature visual beauty and graceful adagio rhythm.”

The Filipino film follows a matriarch’s journey as she contemplates separating from her unfaithful husband.

Seven other films from the region complete the lineup that “focuses on discovering unknown independent potential auteurs and gives recognition to the film craft of mainstream directors.”

“We’re very excited that our film will premiere in Amsterdam,” Abrahan told the Inquirer. “It’s crazy to be in the same lineup as the international hit, ‘Bad Genius,’ as well as other award-winning films.”

The fest’s website asserts that this year’s selection “manifests a strong cinematic vision and reflects the diversity of subjects and genres in Asian cinema, while mirroring the complex cultural, social and political characteristics of the region.”

Abrahan pointed out: “At its core, we made a family film. And I hope that my family, in Bohol and Batangas, would be able to watch the movie, too. It’s not just a personal thing, as Filipino families can relate with the story. I pray that we get a chance to share the film in theaters nationwide.”—BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR.