Nora Aunor (1953-2025)

by Juan Carlos Ojano

Nora Aunor in MIRACLE (1982)

World cinema has lost an acting legend. Yesterday, the passing of the Philippines’ Superstar - a multi-hyphenate performer across film, television, radio, theater - was announced by her family. With a career that spans seven decades, 180 films, 260 singles, multiple genres, and hundreds of awards, Nora Aunor’s impact as an artist transcends the boundaries of Philippine cinema. Her longevity is not only astounding in quantity - she starred in 18 films in 1970 alone! - but she has been a central figure in some of the best works Philippine cinema has ever created.

Personally, Aunor is my favorite Filipino actor - male or female - of all-time. Her talent puts her up there with the world’s best like Meryl Streep, Isabelle Huppert, Liv Ullmann, Gong Li, Viola Davis, Sophia Loren, Setsuko Hara, and Fernanda Montenegro. If this is the first time you are reading about this thespian, trust me on this one: she's up there with the best of the best...

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Best International Film: India, Thailand, Cambodia

by Cláudio Alves

At The Film Experience, we've always loved following and celebrating the Best International Film Oscar race. This season's no different, so you can expect many reviews in the next week as one counts down to the Academy's much-anticipated shortlists, when the competition will be severely cut down from its original 85 contenders. Voting for the shortlists opens on December 9th and closes on the 13th, with results announced on the 17th. Until then, let's dive deep into the wonders of world cinema, starting with a trip to the South of Asia.

Our journey commences with India's Lost Ladies, selected amid controversy because of All We Imagine As Light's politicized snubbing. Then, Thailand's How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, which has become an unlikely blockbuster and worldwide crowd pleaser. And finally, Cambodia's Meeting with Pol Pot, where iconoclast filmmaker Rithy Panh tries his hand at some period drama conventions…

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Golden Horse Nominations for 2024

by Nathaniel R

NOW UPDATED WITH THE WINNERS! Marked by a ⭐

Oops, we're late reporting this one. We love following the Golden Horse Awards which give us insight into both Asian cinema as viewed by Asian cineastes and the Oscar race since the nominees here are often a mix of Oscar submissions from the current Oscar race and the next one (given the different calendar requirements). For instance last year's Golden Horse Awards featured one 2023 Oscar submission: Marry My Dead Body (Thailand) and two current Oscar submissions: Abang Adik (Malaysia) and Old Fox (Taiwan). Here are the nominees and winners for the ceremony which was held on November 23rd, 2024. 

There is only one International Oscar submission among this year's Golden Horse nominees (Nepal's submission received one nomination here) but given the release dates of some of the titles on this list may be more predictive of next year's Oscar submissions in Best International Feature...

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NYFF '24: "Viêt and Nam" finds heaven underground

by Cláudio Alves

In the darkness of the movie theater, filmmakers can conjure images the audience has never dreamed of. Sometimes, they reveal the impossible, dreams that only exist on the silver screen, that looking glass in endless molten metamorphosis. They can reflect the audience back to themselves and the world, too. Sometimes, they're the sweet secrets within your heart or fears you never even knew you had. The power of image-making cannot nor should it be underestimated. Watching Trương Minh Quý's Viêt and Nam, I felt such power, the wonder and awe. 

And it all starts underground, at the bottom of a mine. It starts somewhere where death waits, yet freedom blossoms. It's a trip down to hell that leads to paradise, temporary as it may be…

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And So It Begins: Oscars, Politics, and the Philippines

By Juan Carlos Ojano

Photo: Cine Diaz

Much has been said about how political the submission process for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars is. That assumption is fair. To quickly summarize the submission process, countries must form a nominating body - approved by their respective governments - that the Academy will then consider. These bodies will be in charge of selecting which films will represent the countries in contention for the award. This season, you have a contender like The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Iran didn’t submit it, director Mohammad Rasoulof is in conflict with the government and escaped the country, so Germany submitted it instead) and All We Imagine as Light (India didn’t submit it, director Payal Kapadia is outspokenly critical of the government) as proof of how contentious and political this process is. Make no mistake: everything about the Oscars is political. 

But if there is a film with a fascinating narrative entering this category, it’s the Philippines’ official submission: Ramona S. Díaz’s And So It Begins...

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