28th Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival
Manila by Night
director: Ishmael Bernal
original title: Manila by Night
country: Philippines
year: 1980
running time: 150 min.
synopsis
Ishmael Bernal᾽s most famous and controversial work portrays Manila in the 1970s as a place where a cluster of relationships unravels. The characters include a blind masseuse Bea, a lesbian drug addict Kano, a married taxi driver Pebrero who has an affair with both his pregnant lover Baby and his male lover Manay, while his wife Ade works as a prostitute. Ferdinand Marcosʼs wife disliked this portrayal of Manila as a city full of sex, drugs and homosexuality. Some scenes had to be edited, the title was changed to City After Dark, so it would not refer to Manila, and the film was banned from screening abroad. Later it became a cult movie and nowadays it is considered invaluable for its realism and humane legacy.biography
Ishmael Bernal (1938–1996), a director, screenwriter and actor, was one of the most significant representatives of the Philippine cinema. He made his debut in 1971 with At the Top. He is mostly known for films such as Manila by Night and Himala (1982).more about film
| director: | Ishmael Bernal |
| producer: | Lily Y. Monteverde |
