Lav Diaz is coming back to the Berlin International Film Festival.
This time, it’s for his latest film “Ang Panahon ng Halimaw” (Season of the Devil), a black and white film set during the Martial Law period which producer Bianca Balbuena describes as “an anti-musical musical, a rock opera, whatever you want to call it.”
Balbuena announced on her Facebook page Monday that Diaz’s film will compete in the main competition of Berlinale where he won the Alfred Bauer Silver Bear award two years ago for “Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis” (A Lullabye to the Sorrowful Mystery).
“HERE WE ARE AGAIN, this electrifying feeling of completing a film after sleepless nights, rushing to complete festival and sales agent deliverables and getting ready to have the film shown in the Main Competition of one of the biggest film festivals in the world,” Balbuena posted.
“Ang Panahon ng Halimaw” is one of 24 films selected for the festival’s main competition but it is not yet known if it will be one of the 19 entries that will be eligible for the Golden Bear and Silver Bear awards. The festival will run from February 15 to February 24.
The film is headlined by rumored showbiz couple Piolo Pascual and Shaina Magdayao and supported by a strong ensemble cast that includes Pinky Amador, Bituin Escalante, Hazel Orencio, Bart Guingona, Joel Saracho, Don Melvin Boongaling, Lilit Reyes, Angel Aquino, Ian Lomongo, Noel Sto Domingo, Bradley Liew, Junji Delfino, Dub Lau, and Gan Hui Yee.
A joint Philippine/Malaysia co-production, “Ang Panahon ng Halimaw” is produced by Balbuena and her Malaysian filmmaker fiancé Bradley Liew (“Singing in Graveyards”), whom she credits for “doing most of the producing work from financing to shooting logistics to technical trouble-shooting to post production to subtitles-trailers-poster enhancements.”
The film is officially credited as presented by Globe Studios, Epicmedia and Sine Olivia Pilipinas, in association with Radcliffe Institute Fellowship Program, Harvard University and Da Huang Pictures.
Watch the film’s Berlinale trailer here:
