MANILA, Philippines — It is official! Award-winning film “Birdshot” is the Philippines’ entry to the prestigious Academy Awards. In its Facebook page, the production team of “Birdshot” announced that the film was named as the country’s official entry to the Foreign Film Category of the 2018 Oscars. The 25-year-old director and writer of “Birdshot,” Mikhail Red, and Film Academy of the Philippines’ director general Leo Martinez also confirmed the film’s official nomination. According to IndieWire, a news website for film and television news, reviews, interviews and global festival coverage, “as many as 90 films could wind up vying for the initial shortlist of nine, and final five nominations” in the Foreign Film Category for the Oscars. “Birdshot” features newcomer Mary Joy Apostol as Maya, a motherless farm girl who mistakenly kills a protected endangered Philippine Eagle. It is described as a coming-of-age thriller, wh
ich features a manhunt for the poacher of the national bird. The acclaimed film previously won Best Asian Future Film Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival. Red’s Cinemalaya entry “Rekorder” also made it to the category of the same festival. It also received a production grant from the Doha Film Institute. The film garnered the CJ Entertainment Award at the Asian Market at the Busan International Film Festival in 2015 and recently bagged the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino’s Critics’ Choice Award. “Birdshot” made rounds at almost 20 various festivals in the world. It is scheduled to be screened at the Adelaide Film Fest in Australia this October. Aside from Apostol it stars John Arcilla, Arnold Reyes and Ku Aquino. The film is produced by Pamela Reyes. Philstar