Cannes Winner ‘Ma’ Rosa’ Picked Up by First Run Features
First Run Features (FRF) announced today that it has acquired U.S. rights from Paris based Films Distribution for Brillante Ma.
The official Oscar entry from the Philippines, “Ma’ Rosa” tells the story of a poor family in Manila that sells drugs on the side to make ends meet, amidst the backdrop of police corruption.
“Ma’ Rosa” premiered in official competition at Cannes this year where lead actress Jaclyn Jose won the Best Actress Award, winning over some tough competition which included Kristen Stewart, Isabelle Huppert, Marion Cotillard and Min-Hee Kim and Tae Ri Kim.
The film also screened at Toronto International Film Festival and BFI London Film Festival and is currently in high demand on the international film festival circuit.
Firmly established as one of Cannes’ auteur filmmakers, Mendoza’s debut effort, “The Masseur,” wowed audiences and won the Golden Leopard Award at the 2005 Locarno International Film Festival.
“We are extremely honored to bring this film to American audiences,” said Marc Mauceri, Vice President of FRF.
With incredible performances from the cast, we couldn’t be happier to be working with our long time partners at Films Distribution for this project, he added.
FRF previously released Mendoza’s 2012 film “Captive,” based on the real-life kidnapping of 20 tourists from a luxury resort in the Philippines in 2001.