''The Woman in the Septic Tank'' ( fil, Ang babae sa septic tank) is a

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by Marlon Rivera, written by Chris Martinez, and starring JM De Guzman,

Kean Cipriano Kean Edward Uson Cipriano (born June 11, 1987 in Pasig City) is a Filipino singer, composer, actor, music video director, and musician. He is well known as the former vocalist of pop-rock band Callalily, and the founder of his own record label O ...

, Cai Cortez and

Eugene Domingo Eugena Roxas Domingo (born July 23, 1971), popularly known as Eugene Domingo, is a Filipino actress, comedienne and host. She has performed in lead and supporting roles in various genres of the Philippine film industry. She is popularly known as ...

.Eugene Domingo says her hardships for ''Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank'' are all worth it
accessed on July 20, 2011 via www.pep.ph The film follows three aspiring filmmakers who set out to make a film for the sole purpose of receiving international recognition and awards. ''The Woman in the Septic Tank'' was submitted as the Philippines' official entry for the 2011 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Film, and was an entry for the 2011 Cinemalaya Festival.''Ang Babae sa Septic Tank'' tops Cinemalaya 2011; Eugene Domingo wins Best Actress
accessed on July 25, 2011 via www.pep.ph It was produced by Martinez-Rivera Films and Quantum Films. The film was released on August 3, 2011, by

Star Cinema ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc. (doing business as Star Cinema or ABS-CBN Films) is a Philippines, Filipino film studio and film and television production company and film distributor headquartered in Quezon City. It is one of the major film ...

and grossed 38.4 million pesos and was the highest grossing Filipino independent film at the time until it was surpassed in 2015 by ''

That Thing Called Tadhana ''That Thing Called Tadhana'' (International title: ''That Thing Called Destiny'') is a 2014 Filipino romantic comedy film directed by Antoinette Jadaone who had already worked with Panganiban in the 2014 comedy film, ''Beauty in a Bottle.'' It fo ...

''.''Ang Babae sa Septic Tank'' Showing Nationwide on August 3, 2011
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Overview

Chris Martinez wrote the screenplay for the film. Martinez and Rivera submitted the film for the "New Breed, Full Length Film" category for the

7th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival The 7th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival was held from July 15 until 24, 2011 in Metro Manila, Philippines. The festival opened on July 15 and close on July 24, 2011 at the Main Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Entries The ...

. The festival was held from July 15 to the 24th at the

Cultural Center of the Philippines The Cultural Center of the Philippines ( fil, Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas, or CCP) is a government-owned and controlled corporation established to preserve, develop and promote arts and culture in the Philippines.Presidential Decree No. ...

. After the mass critical success of the movie at the film festival,

purchased the rights to release the film for a wider release.Eugene Domingo surprised and grateful for awards reaped by ''Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank''
retrieved on July 31, 2011 via www.pep.ph The film was released on August 3, 2011, to over 50 theaters nationwide and grossed almost 40 million pesos becoming the highest grossing Philippine independent film at the time.

Synopsis

Jocelyn, Rainier, and Bingbong are three film school graduates who are dead-set on making an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...

-worthy film. They set out to do a quick pre-production as a courtesy call to their lead actress played by Eugene Domingo, and a thorough inspection of their film's major location, the

Payatas dumpsite The Payatas dumpsite is a former garbage dump in the barangay of the same name in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. History The Payatas dumpsite, established in the 1970s, was an open dumpsite in Lupang Pangako in Payatas, Quezon City. Pri ...

. They believe they have a winning script, and the energy and drive to make their dreams come true, no matter what the cost. There, they use Eugene Domingo's acting skills to her limit, including forcing her to swim in a sewer, despite her pleas that she can do anything, except swim in a sewer.

Cast

plays a fictionalized version of herself, whom the filmmakers want to star in their movie ''Walang Wala (With Nothing)'' **Domingo also portrays Mila, the protagonist of ''With Nothing''. * JM De Guzman as Bingbong, the producer of ''With Nothing'', who is focused on adjusting the film to help them gain recognition from festivals and win awards. *

as Rainier de la Cuesta, the director of ''With Nothing''. *

Cai Cortez Carizza Cortez-Rkhami (born July 1, 1988 in Taytay, Rizal) is a Filipina actress, comedian, model and endorser. Life Carizza Cortez was born on July 1, 1988 in Taytay, Rizal, a densely populated municipality of Rizal. She is the daughter of ...

as Jocelyn, the mostly silent production manager of Bingbong who visualizes several scenarios of ''With Nothing ''presented by Rainier and Bingbong.

Cherry Pie Picache Cherry Pie Sison Picache (born May 27, 1970) is a Filipino actress who has starred television and in mainstream and independent films and has worked as a print and TV commercial model for Palmolive, Camay, and Eskinol. Cherry Pie is notable ...

and

Mercedes Cabral Mercedes Cabral (born August 10, 1986) is a Filipino actress. She is best known for starring in Philippine arthouse and independent films, notably those by Brillante Mendoza such as '' Serbis'', '' Kinatay'', ''Captive'', and '' Thy Womb''. She ...

appear in cameo appearances as themselves, who are the other options of Bingbong, Rainier and Jocelyn in casting the part of Mila.

Antoinette Jadaone Antoinette Hilario Jadaone (born April 3, 1984) is a Filipina filmmaker and podcaster, best known for directing ''That Thing Called Tadhana'' (2014), '' Love You to the Stars and Back'' (2017), ''Never Not Love You'' (2018), '' Alone/Together'' ( ...

Bilang babae sa catering.

Reception

Box office

The film broke box office records for the Cinemelaya Independent Film Festival. It is the first full-length film to have its audience tickets sell to its maximum capacity within ten days of showing at the festival. The film was a commercial as well as critical success. The film earned a total of P20 million on its first five days. The total gross of the film amounted to P38.4 million, making it the highest grossing independent film in the history of Philippine cinema until it was surpassed in 2015 by ''

.''Ang Babae sa Septic Tank'' grosses P38.4 million; Eugene Domingo to attend Vancouver IFF
accessed on September 9, 2011 via www.pep.ph

International

Richard Kuipers of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' describes ''The Woman in the Septic Tank'' as "a lively laffer." He also praises the performance of lead actors Cipriano and de Guzman, calling it "spot-on as the guys with one eye on the slums and the other on travel and trophies." Meanwhile, Maggie Lee of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' says the film is "a lambast of the pretensions of independent cinema in his country and his fellow filmmakers' inflated egos." However, she is concerned about its "specialized topic and low-budget look" that may be off-putting for some audience, which may minimize its commercial prospect internationally. She also compares how the film replays specific sequences, each with narrative or stylistic revisions, to "a ''

Groundhog Day Groundhog Day ( pdc, Grund'sau dåk, , , ; Nova Scotia: Daks Day) is a popular North American tradition observed in the United States and Canada on February 2. It derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog emerges from ...

'' of pilot filmmaking." The film is an official entry for the 2011

Vancouver International Film Festival The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October. The festival is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Fest ...

Pusan International Film Festival The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF, previously Pusan International Film Festival, PIFF), held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan (''also'' Pusan), South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festi ...

, the

Hawaii International Film Festival The Hawai'i International Film Festival (HIFF) is an annual film festival held in the United States state of Hawaii. HIFF has a focus on Asian-Pacific cinema, education, and the work of new and emerging filmmakers. HIFF’s primary festival is ...

, the

Tokyo International Film Festival The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter. Along with the Shanghai International Film Festival, it is one of Asia's competitive film festivals, and is considered to be the ...

, and the

Far East Film Festival Far East Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Udine, Italy. It is one of the most important events promoting Asian Cinema in Europe. It focuses mainly on the films from East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which i ...

. The film was chosen by the

Film Academy of the Philippines Established in 1981, the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) is the Philippines' official counterpart of the United States' Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The FAP was founded through Executive Order 640-A issued by the President o ...

to represent the Philippines in 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 ...

category of the

84th Academy Awards The 84th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2011 in the United States and took place on February 26, 2012, at the Hollywood and Highland Center Theatre in ...

, but it did not make the final shortlist.

Awards and nominations

, - , rowspan="5", 2011 , rowspan="5",

* , Best Screenplay (Chris Martinez) , , - , Audience Choice Awards , , - , Best Performance of an Actress (Eugene Domingo) , , - , Best Director (Marlon N. Rivera) , , - , Best Picture , , - , rowspan="17", 2012 , rowspan="2",

6th Asian Film Awards The 6th Asian Film Awards is an intra-continental annually-presented award ceremony hosted during the Hong Kong International Film Festival to honour the best Asian films of 2011. Awards were presented in 14 general categories. People's Choice A ...

, Best Screenwriter (Chris Martinez) , , - , People's Choice Awards - Favorite Actress (Eugene Domingo) , , - ,

Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (german: Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung, ), abbreviated BMZ, is a cabinet-level ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany. Its main office is ...

(BMZ), Germany ,

Cinema Fairbindet Cinema Fairbindet, stylised CINEMA Fairbindet and meaning "CINEMA connects", was an award given by Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) at the Berlinale (Berlin International Film Festival) between 2011 and 20 ...

award , , - , rowspan="4", 10th Gawad TANGLAW for Films , Best Director (Marlon Rivera) , , - , Best Screenplay (Chris Martinez) , , - , Best Actress (Eugene Domingo) , , - , Best Film , , - , rowspan="10", 28th PMPC Star Awards for Movies28th Star Awards for Movies nominees bared
via Philippine Entertainment Portal , Digital Movie of the Year , , - , Digital Movie Director of the Year (Marlon Rivera) , , - , Movie Actress of the Year (Eugene Domingo) , , - , Digital Movie Original Screenplay of the Year (Chris Martinez) , , - , Digital Movie Cinematographer of the Year (Larry Manda) , , - , Digital Movie Editor of the Year (Ike Veneracion) , , - , Digital Movie Production of the Year (Norma Regalado) , , - , Digital Movie Musical Scorer of the Year (Vincent de Jesus) , , - , Digital Movie Sound Engineer of the Year (Albert Michael Idioma & Addiss Tabong) , , - , Digital Movie Theme Song of the Year ("''Sabaw''") ,

Sequel

Following the success of the film, a sequel, '' The Woman in the Septic Tank 2: Forever is Not Enough'', was released on December 25, 2016, as an official entry to the

2016 Metro Manila Film Festival The 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is the 42nd edition of the annual Metro Manila Film Festival held in Metro Manila and throughout the Philippines. It is organized by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). This is the first ...

. Rivera and Martinez return as director and writer, respectively, as well as Domingo, Cipriano and Cortez reprising their roles.

References

External links

''Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank''
on

Cinemalaya The Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival is a film festival in the Philippines held annually during the month August at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex and various cinemas. Its aim is the development and promotion of Fi ...

.com *
''Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank''
Official Website {{DEFAULTSORT:Woman In The Septic Tank 2011 films 2010s Tagalog-language films Star Cinema films Philippine New Wave 2011 comedy films Films directed by Marlon N. Rivera