Taking a look behind the lens of Rafael Manuel’s “Filipiñana” (Berlinale Perspectives). 🎬 In 2020, Rafael Manuel presented his short film of the same title at the Berlinale and won the Silver Bear Jury Prize (Short Film). Initially, the director planned to raise money for a feature film, later admitting that he was naïve and believed it would be quite easy. He was then advised to use the money he had collected to make a short film and build a profile around the feature he had in mind. After winning the Silver Bear at the Berlinale, he further developed the project, found the right collaborators, and shot the film. Six years later, he returned to the festival with his debut feature, “Filipiñana”. The film follows Isabel, a new employee at the Maynila Country Club, a place with enough facilities to keep the creme-de-la-creme of Philippine society distracted and insulated from the country’s socio-political problems. Isabel finds herself strangely drawn to the club’s president as she pi...