Ma Rosa, Brillante Mendoza’s film that recently brought honor to the Philippines at the recently concluded 69th Cannes Film Festival in France, is showing at selected SM Cinemas nationwide.
The film not only competed at the festival’s Official Selection, but also gave us much to celebrate when lead actress Jaclyn Jose won the Best Actress award for her exceptional performance in the film.
Prior to its run, Ma Rosa had special screenings at SM City Davao, SM Megamall, the S Maison Cinema at the Conrad, and Light Mall where government officials, film lovers, corporate executives, and the media gathered together to find out why the film received a five-minute standing ovation when it was premiered at the Palais Main Theater at the Cannes Film Festival, and why Jaclyn Jose won the award over acclaimed actresses like Isabelle Huppert, Marion Cotilliard, and Charlize Theron.
These included Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar, Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte, and Solar Entertainment CEO Wilson Tieng. National Artist Bienvendio Lumbera was among the film lovers who attended the film together with directors Quark Henares and Elwood Perez, and the French Embassy’s Martin Macalintal. Corporate Executives Annaise Fagrante of Samsung, Lans Bularan and Sonia Tejada of Shell, Solar Entertainment’s Butch Ibañez and Joey Alvarez and AG Constantino of Power Mac also attended the event. And they were not disappointed.
Director Mendoza and members of the cast led by Jaclyn Jose, Julio Diaz, Baron Geisler, Jomari Angeles, Mon Confiado, and Aaron Rivera welcomed them.
Ma Rosa spotlights poverty in a Filipino Family where the family matriarch Rosa (Jaclyn Jose), owns a small community convenience store connected to their home in the slums of Metropolitan Manila. Together with her husband, Nestor (Julio Diaz), they use their convenient store as cover-up for selling illegal narcotic, Methamphetamines. Their fate changes when their neighbor sets them up for a police raid, leading to the couple’s arrest. This is a ploy for extortion. Backed against the wall, Rosa seeks help from her children, Jackson (Felix Roco), Raquel (Andi Eigenmann), and Erwin (Jomari Angeles) as they do the daunting task to buy their parent’s freedom.
The film also stars Mark Anthony Fernandez, Mon Confiado, Neil Ryan Sese and Baron Geisler who all played as cops in the movie.
Ma Rosa is Director Mendoza’s 4th film to be shown at Cannes, the first one was Serbis in 2008, which was nominated for the coveted Palme d’Or (Golden Palm). In 2009, Brillante won Best Director at Cannes for his film Kinatay, and in 2015, his movie Taklub was given the Ecumenical Jury-Prize Special Mention.
Distributed by Solar Entertainment, Ma’ Rosa, is showing in SM Cinemas nationwide.
