Since its release in 1980, Bona has remained largely unseen until it was rediscovered by University of Illinois professor Jose B. Capino when he was researching and interviewing people for his book on Brocka.
'Bona' goes on a whirlwind tour of North America
Nov 16, 2024 06:04 AM
At a glance
Nora Aunor may have lost her shirt while producing Bona, but look where that foresight and vision of hers took her.
Bona, produced by the superstar and National Artist’s NV Productions, has become unstoppable in a whirlwind tour of countries around the world 44 years after it was made.
Jojo de Vera, film archivist who was instrumental in the full restoration of Bona, announced that the new 4K restoration of Bona will be screened on Dec. 2 at The Academy Museum in Los Angeles. This screening shall be followed by a week-long run at the Metrograph in New York.
According to de Vera, Kani Releasing will also screen the film to Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver in Canada; Austin, Minneapolis, Seattle, Philadelphia, Madison and Washington in the USA.
Bona had a successful run at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. The classic Filipino film returned home to the Philippines to close the 20th edition of the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival last Aug. 10.
Directed by National Artist Lino Brocka and written by Cenen Ramones, Bona is a story of a middle-class school girl who skips classes to hang around with minor actors on the sets of low-budget films. When her father attempts to beat some sense into her, Bona moves into Gardo’s shack in the slums, delighted to play house–only to find herself not the wife, but the maid.
Bona features Philip Salvador, Marissa Delgado, Raquel Monteza, Rustica Carpio, Venchito Galvez, Nanding Josef, and Spanky Manikan, together with the PETA Kalinangan Ensemble.
Since its release in 1980, Bona has remained largely unseen until it was rediscovered by University of Illinois professor Jose B. Capino when he was researching and interviewing people for his book on Brocka.
In 2023, Carlotta Films and Kani Releasing initiated the restoration of the film. The 4k restoration from the original 35 mm image was carried out at Cité de Mémoire laboratory in Paris, France, while the sound restoration from the negatives preserved by LTC Patrimoine was handled by L.E. Diapason.