Australia has selected James J Robinson’s feature debut First Light as its official submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively.
The first-ever Filipino-Australian co-production, First Light is the first Tagalog-language film ever submitted by Australia for the Oscars.
The drama follows an elderly nun (played by Brilliante Mendoza regular Ruby Ruiz), whose life has been shaped by discipline, service and belief, who, after a young construction worker dies under suspicious circumstances, gets drawn into a world of crime and corruption. Maricel Soriano, Rez Cortez and Kidlat Tahimik co-star.
Explaining their decision, the Australian Oscar selection committee called First Light “a meditative work about an aging woman who questions her faith as her world begins to crumble around her, leaving an indelible mark.” Robinson’s feature, they said, was “an impressive debut that is a shining example of Australian filmmaking.”
First Light was produced by Gabrielle Pearson of Majella Productions and Christelle Lou Dychangco and Jane Pe Aguirre of Clou Media Productions. The film was released in cinemas in the Philippines by Clou Media Productions, and in Australian cinemas by Bonsai Films. Independent Entertainment are handling international sales.
