ISKA, a film about an impoverished grandmother who is saddled with the care of her autistic grandson, spoke to its audience when it premiered at last year’s Cinemalaya Film Festival.

One year after, the film which earned local and international acclaim from numerous film festivals, is headed to Netflix to reach a global audience.
According to producer Real Florido, the talks to stream to Netflix proceeded in a typical manner. However, he was struck by the streaming giant’s efforts to get to know Filipino filmmakers and producers.

“We had a little chat with them about what we do and exchanged insights on the current situation of the industry here in the Philippines and in the region,” he said.

For his part, director Theodore Boborol said that reaching out to a wider audience has always been his dream for the film. He was thrilled to know that Netflix chose ISKA to feature in their platform.

Whether or not ISKA’s message will resonate with a global audience, the director said that he hopes their core message will still reach all types of viewers.

“I cannot say for sure since Netflix has a different audience but I hope it will be the same. That they will be affected from it and hopefully, do something about their realizations from watching the movie,” he said.
Producer RJ Agustin, who was one of the first to believe in the power of ISKA’s story, expressed confidence that her message will still hit the mark because of its relevance.

“What drew us to produce the film is the heart of ISKA's story, was the sacrifices and love of a grandmother to her grandson who has autism. We seldom see this in the streets but we see this kind of story happening everywhere, every day. I guess that's the universality of ISKA. We also feel strongly about how the story paints a picture of life in the fringes of the country. We are hoping that this could really gain attention, even just a small amount to look at how mental health needs to be addressed at the grassroots,” he said.

The film’s lead actress Ruby Ruiz, who recently received Best Actress honors at the recently concluded Harlem International Film Festival expressed excitement to show their film to the world through Netflix.

“It will give us the chance to show our film to a wider audience, and I am praying that we get as much audience in Netflix as we did in the Cinemalaya run of ISKA,” she said.