'Anak ka ng Ina Mo,' 'Primetime Mother' to have world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival
Two local films will have their world premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 7 to 17.
Jun Lana's Anak ka ng Ina Mo (Your Mother's Son) was selected as part of TIFF's Centrepiece Programme, which will also feature 47 other films from around the world.
The program, previously known as Contemporary World Cinema (CWC), honors and celebrates global cinematic achievements, inviting audiences to immerse themselves in a dynamic array of contemporary films.
Anak Ka ng Ina Mo follows the story of a hard-working mother and her layabout son. Their relationship was challenged when her mother invites one of her students into their home.
The film stars Sue Prado, Elora Españo, Miggy Jimenez, and Kokoy De Santos.
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Sonny Calvento's Primetime Mother, meanwhile, is one of the official lineups for this year's TIFF's Short Cuts together with 41 other film entries from 23 countries.
In a statement, Short Cuts lead programmer Jason Anderson said, “We are thrilled to be able to present such a diverse array of incredible new works by emergent and established film talents from all over the world."
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The film is top-billed by Meryll Soriano and tells the story of a local gameshow told in a very Filipino way, complete with dance showdowns and melodramatic life stories of the contestants. It is written and directed by Calvento, who is also known for his Sundance-nominated short film Excuse Me, Miss, Miss, Miss.
TIFF is one of the world's biggest public film festivals that aims to transform the way people see the world through film.
In 2022, Martika Escobar's Leonor Will Never Die won the Amplify Voices Award for emerging filmmakers at the Canada-based festival.