PH film in MoMA and Lincoln Center’s New Directors series

Jana Agoncillo in “Nervous Translation”

A Filipino film joins the ranks of “25 features and 10 short films from all over the world” that are included in the lineup of a festival, spearheaded by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).

Shireen Seno’s “Nervous Translation,” a product of last year’s Cinema One Originals, will be shown at the 47th New Directors/New Films in New York City, stating today until April 8.

The annual event is known for celebrating filmmakers who “represent the present and anticipate the future of cinema, daring artists whose work pushes the envelope in unexpected ways.”

The Lincoln Center’s website quotes Dennis Lim, Film Society director of Programming, as describing this year’s roster as “diverse and wide-ranging … full of pleasures and provocation, and above all, surprises.”

Meanwhile, Josh Siegel, curator of MoMA’s Film department, hails this edition’s list of films “as imaginative, daring and restless.”

The fest’s website calls Seno’s sophomore outing “a stylized evocation of a child’s fanciful interpretation of the world around her,” adding that some “scenes … evoke the work of American artist Laurie Simmons.”

The site notes that Seno presents “clues from the … outside world, hinting at societal turmoil following Ferdinand Marcos’ ouster and complicated adult relations, but these never overshadow her film’s touching depiction of childhood imagination.”

Seno told the Inquirer: “It’s a huge honor to be a part of New Directors/New Films, with its highly selective programming. Also, to have our North American premiere at a prestigious art institution like the MoMA is amazing. I am excited to show the film to a discerning audience in New York City.”

Seno’s film, which topbills child star Jana Agoncillo, will be shown at the MoMA on April 7 (8:45 p.m.) and at the Film Society of Lincoln Center on April 8 (1 p.m.). —BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR.