''Birdshot'' is a 2016 Philippine coming-of-agethriller film written, directed and edited by Mikhail Red. Starring Mary Joy Apostol, Arnold Reyes, Ku Aquino, and John Arcilla, its story revolves around a farm girl (Apostol) in the countryside, who unwittingly kills a Philippine eagle (an endangered species locally known as the ''haribon''), and two police officers (Reyes and Arcilla) assigned to track down the haribon's killer while investigating the mysterious disappearance of a busload of farmers en route to Manila.
The film was selected as the Filipino entry for the
Best Foreign Language Film
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
at the 90th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. ''Birdshot'' is the first Filipino film released worldwide by Netflix.
Plot
Diego Mariano (Ku Aquino) is the caretaker of the land surrounding a sanctuary; he is the father of 14-year-old Maya (Mary Joy Apostol), whose mother died from childbirth. Maya wants to explore the land beyond the family's isolated shack. Diego wants his daughter to be self-sufficient, so he teaches her to fire a gun. After failing her first shooting lessons, Maya wanders off to the forest sanctuary with her father's dual barrel shotgun and deliberately kills a Philippine eagle, an endangered animal.
Meanwhile, newly-recruited police officer Domingo (Arnold Reyes) goes to the area to investigate the mysterious disappearance of farmers en route to Manila on a bus, but is ordered to stop. Domingo's partner Mendoza ( John Arcilla) and their commander De la Paz (Dido de la Paz) believes that Domingo should focus on finding the killer of the Philippine eagle instead.
Cast
*Mary Joy Apostol as Maya
*Arnold Reyes as Domingo
* John Arcilla as Mendoza
*Ku Aquino as Diego
Production
''Birdshot'' was directed by Mikhail Red who also made the screenplay with cousin Rae Red. Red was also the film editor opposite Jay Halili. The
cinematographer
The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...
was Mycko David. The music used in the film was composed by Teresa Barrozo.
Red and his cousin began writing the script in 2014. Producer Pamela L. Reyes submitted it to the
Doha Film Institute
Doha Film Institute (DFI) is a nonprofit cultural organisation established in 2010 by Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani to support the growth of the Qatari film community and to provide funding and international networking oppor ...
which in early 2015 granted production funding for the film. After winning the CJ Entertainment Award at the Busan Film Festival's Asian Project Market, other investors granted funding, including TBA Studios. The film project was selected at the
Festival des 3 Continents
The Festival des 3 Continents is an annual film festival held since 1979 in Nantes, France, and is devoted to the cinemas of Asia, and Africa and Latin America. It was founded by Philippe and Alain Jalladeau. The total budget of the film was .
Red was inspired by a shooting incident in 2008, where a three-year-old Philippine eagle was shot by a Bukidnon farmer in
Mount Kitanglad
Mount Kitanglad is an inactive volcano located in the Kitanglad Mountain Range in Bukidnon province on Mindanao island. It is the fourth highest mountain in the Philippines and has an approximate height of . It is located between Malaybalay City ...
who cooked the killed bird afterwards. Principal photography lasted for 23 days. Scenes were shot in the provinces of Isabela and
Rizal
Rizal, officially the Province of Rizal ( fil, Lalawigan ng Rizal), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Its capital is the city of Antipolo. It is about east of Manila. The p ...
as well as the Philippine Eagle Sanctuary in Davao City.
The color red is a prominent element in the film which signifies an important scene or pertinent detail that the audience is required to pay closer attention to.
Release
''Birdshot'' was first screened at film festivals outside the Philippines before it was screened in the country. The film made its debut at the 2016 Tokyo International Film Festival and was screened in 14 other film festivals before it made its local debut at the
13th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival
The 13th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival was held from August 4–13, 2017 in Metro Manila, Philippines. A total of nine full-length features and twelve short films competed. The festival was opened by Mikhail Red's ''Birdshot'' and was close ...
in August of the following year.
The film was also screened as one of the twelve official entries at the
2017 Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino
The 2017 Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP, ) is the inaugural edition of the annual Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino, organized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines. It featured 12 locally produced films which was screened from August 1 ...
.
Streaming service Netflix acquired the film and was released on the platform on March 26, 2018 worldwide. ''Birdshot'' will become the first Filipino produced film to be made available in Netflix Philippines. Another Philippine film, '' On the Job'', was already made available in the North America service of the online platform.
Reception
Film critic Richard Kuipers praised ''Birdshot'' in a review published in '' Variety'' describing the film as a "gripping combination of
police procedural
The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the protagonist(s), as contrasted with other genres that focus on eith ...
and coming-of-age drama". He paralleled the film's commentary to the 2009 Maguindanao massacre and remarked on Apostol's performance in particular as "impressive". Additional praise was also given by Kuiper to Teresa Barrozo's "haunting soundscapes".
The film won Best Picture in the Asian Future category at the 2016 Tokyo International Film Festival and was selected for the Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award at the
Goteborg Film Festival
Göteborg Film Festival (GFF), formerly Göteborg International Film Festival (GIFF), known in English as the Gothenburg Film Festival, formerly Gothenburg International Film Festival, is an annual film festival in Gothenburg, Sweden and the larg ...