Filipiñana

Set within an exclusive golf and country club on the outskirts of Manila, Filipiñana follows 17-year-old Isabel, a newly hired tee-girl who quickly becomes captivated by the manicured lawns and rigid rituals of the elite community. When she finds a golf club belonging to the president Dr. Palanca and tries to return it, her seemingly simple errand transforms into an obsessive infatuation, leading Isabel to uncover a hidden history that binds them and the secret power that lies behind the exploitation that dominates her beloved Manila. Manuel’s bold and blackly comic debut, which is executive produced by Jia Zhangke and has drawn comparisons to the work of Michael Haneke, is a striking and unsettling modern fairytale. Rógan Graham, Film Programmer A BFI release. Screen: NFT3. Screening details: English language subtitles.