Hustisya’s director Lamangan and audience’s reactions at TIFF

Hustisya’s director Lamangan and audience’s reactions at TIFF

By Rachelle Cruz

The 39th annual Toronto International Film Festival kicked off, and this year, three films from the Philippines made the cut: Lav Diaz’s From What is Before (Mula sa Kung Ano ang Noon), Carlos Siguion-Reyna’s Where I am King (Hari ng Tondo), and celebrated filmmaker Joel Lamangan’s Jusice (Hustisya).

The Philippine Reporter caught up with Filipino veteran director Lamangan on its international premiere screening for Hustisya on Sept. 9.

Director Joel Lamangan

“It’s an honour to be invited in such a festival, because it becomes a show window of my film. A show window of the truth that I would like to be said about the country, and it’s always an open opportunity to say so, an opportunity given not to everybody,” Lamangan said.

Aided by top-notch cast and veteran actress Ms. Nora Aunor and Ricky Lee’s script, the socialist-horror flick is a harsh realist commentary on the perpetual corruption, criminality, and injustices that unfold within the nitty-gritty set of Manila.

You can catch the full story and review in the next issue and online (https://philippinereporter.com) soon, but here’s some of the audience reactions:

Biring (Nora Aunor) in Black Nazarene Parade.

“I did like the film, it’s a riveting movie and Nora Aunor’s performance as usual is fantastic. You know it makes me sad to know that this kind of thing is still happening in the Philippines.”– Evelyn Pagkalinawan

“Yeah I enjoyed it, but I cannot swallow it, for what is you know, going on in the Philippines. But I know it’s true. I know that’s what’s going on, I know it’s true especially the politicians.”– Percie Inacay

“Bakit ganun? Hindi magagandang lugar ang pinakikita. At saka, it’s too much. You know like, it’s mostly negative things about the Philippines, there’s nothing positive about it but anyway it was really well directed and the actress was really great.”– Susan Llanera