Quezon's Game

Last updated

Quezon's Game
Quezon's Game.jpg
Directed byMatthew Rosen
Written by
  • Janice Y. Perez
  • Dean Rosen
Produced by
Starring Raymond Bagatsing
Music byDean Rosen
Production
companies
Distributed by Star Cinema
Release dates
  • 16 December 2018 (2018-12-16)(Canada)
  • 29 May 2019 (2019-05-29)(Philippines)
Running time
125 minutes
CountryPhilippines
Languages
  • Filipino
  • English
  • Spanish
Budget₱25 million
($500 thousand)

Quezon's Game is a 2018 Philippine biographical drama film directed by Matthew Rosen. The film centers on Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon and his plan to shelter German and Austrian Jews in the Philippines who were fleeing Nazi Germany during the pre-World War II era.

Contents

Premise

In 1938, Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon, military adviser Dwight D. Eisenhower, along with other notable figures, set out to rescue Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany. Quezon simultaneously deals with a relapse of tuberculosis. [1] [2]

Cast

Production

Quezon's Game is a joint venture production of Star Cinema, iWant, [3] and Kinetek. [4] The film was directed by Matthew Rosen who is British-Jewish, [5] and the film had a production budget of US$500 thousand. The film produced in color runs for 125 minutes and is filmed in English, Spanish, and Tagalog. Production was finished by October 15, 2018. [2] Rosen spent three months on casting for the film alone. [5]

Lorena and Matthew Rosen were responsible for the film's original story idea while Janice Y. Perez and Dean Rosen wrote the screenplay. The film was produced to tell of a relatively unknown account of President Manuel L. Quezon rescuing Jewish refugees from the Holocaust and temporarily providing them shelter in the Philippines. One of the challenges the writers dealt with during Quezon's Game's research phase was the lack of Filipino historical manuscripts tackling the historical account. They referred to theses and dissertations made by Americans, and corresponded with the descendants of Alex and Herbert Frieder who played a major role in Quezon's plan. [6]

Rosen who is an immigrant who moved to the Philippines in the 1980s, became aware of President Quezon's plan after he learned that his Filipino wife knew the lyrics to the Jewish folk song "Hava Nagila" and local children could sing it, while not being aware of its Jewish origin. Rosen started inquiring at a synagogue and its museum in Manila in 2009 which led him to learning about President Quezon's plan for Jews fleeing Nazi Germany. [7]

Release

Quezon's Game was released in various international film festivals prior to its theatrical release. It was released in Ottawa, Canada as part of the gala event of the 2018 Cinema World Festival as one of the winning films of the 2018 Autumn Selection. [3] It was also an entry in the IndieFEST Film in California, and the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival in Texas. [8]

As part of the film's promotion, a VIP screening was held on May 7, 2019 at the Power Plant Mall in Makati where ABS-CBN also presented video interviews of Holocaust Survivors Margot Pins Kestenbaum and Max Weissler, who were both provided shelter in the Philippines by Manuel Quezon and currently reside in Israel. [8] The film's theatrical release in the Philippines was on May 29, 2019. [5]

Spin-off

There will be a documentary series in iWant called The Last Manilaners: A Quezon’s Game Documentary which tells about the Jews who went to the Philippines describing their experience of prosecution and conflict in Nazi Germany and found new life. [9]

Reception

The film received mixed reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 45% of 22 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review. [10] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 36 out of 100 based on 6 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [11]

The film won at least 20 awards as an entry in various international film festivals. [8] In January 2019, Quezon's Game won 12 accolades at the Cinema World Fest Awards in Ottawa, Canada. [12] [3]

YearAward-Giving BodyCategoryRecipient(s) and nominee(s)ResultRef
2018Cinema World Fest Awards [3] Award of Merit for Drama FeatureQuezon's GameWon [13]
Award of Recognition for DirectingMatthew RosenWon
Award of Excellence for ActorRaymond BagatsingWon
Award of Excellence for ActressRachel AlejandroWon
Award of Excellence for Supporting ActorBilly Ray GallionWon
Award of Excellence for LightingMatthew Rosen
Leo Santos
Won
Award of Excellence for Original ScoreDean RosenWon
Award of Excellence for Produced ScreenplayJanice Perez
Dean Rosen
Won
Award of Excellence for Set DesignRowella Talusig
Set Construction Group
Won
Award of Excellence for Sound DesignAnglea PereyraWon
Award of Excellence for Costume DesignRowella Talusig and Quezon's Game costume teamWon
Award of Merit for Color TreatmentAntonette GozumWon
2019 WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival [12] Best Foreign MovieQuezon's GameWon [14]
Gold Remi Awards for Best Art DesignQuezon's GameWon
Gold Remi Awards for Best ProducersCarlo Katigbak
Olivia Lamasan
Linggit Tan-Marasigan
Lorena Rosen
Won
Gold Remi Awards for Best DirectorMatthew RosenWon
20207th Urduja Heritage Film AwardsBest Heritage FilmQuezon's GameWon [15]
Best ActorRaymond BagatsingWon
Best Supporting ActorBilly Ray GallionWon
Best Supporting ActressRachel AlejandroWon
Best Actor in a Cameo RoleAudie GemoraWon
Best DirectorMatthew RosenWon
Best CinematographyMatthew RosenWon
Best Production DesignMatthew RosenWon
Best SceeenplayDean RosenWon

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manuel L. Quezon</span> President of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944

Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina, also known by his initials MLQ, was a Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier, and politician who was president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 until his death in 1944. He was the first Filipino to head a government of the entire Philippines and is considered the second president of the Philippines after Emilio Aguinaldo (1899–1901), whom Quezon defeated in the 1935 presidential election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kris Aquino</span> Filipino television presenter and actress (born 1971)

Kristina Bernadette "Kris" Cojuangco Aquino is a Filipino former television presenter, actress, and film producer. She notably starred as Princess Intan in the acclaimed Crazy Rich Asians and is a recipient of 42 PMPC Star Awards for Television, 10 Golden Screen Awards and a FAMAS Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ABS-CBN Corporation</span> Media and entertainment conglomerate in the Philippines

ABS-CBN Corporation is a Filipino media company based in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is the largest entertainment television production, program syndication provider and media conglomerate in the Philippines. It is a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation, which is owned by the López family. ABS-CBN was formed by the merger of Alto Broadcasting System (ABS) and Chronicle Broadcasting Network (CBN).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Star Cinema</span> Philippine film and television production company and film distributor

ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc., doing business as Star Cinema and also known as ABS-CBN Films, is a Filipino film and television production and distribution company headquartered in Quezon City. It is one of the major film studios in the Philippines, along with Viva Films, Regal Entertainment and GMA Pictures. Star Cinema has produced and released most of the highest-grossing Philippine films of all time.

Recorded Jewish history in the Philippines started during the Spanish period.

Jericho Vibar Rosales, also known as Echo, is a Filipino actor and singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Star Magic</span> Talent agency in the Philippines

ABS-CBN Center for Communication Arts, Inc., doing business as Star Magic, is the talent agency owned by ABS-CBN Corporation based in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines that was founded in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charo Santos-Concio</span> Filipino television actress and film producer (born 1955)

María Rosario Navarro "Charo" Santos-Concio, , is a Filipino media executive and actress. She is the host of Maalaala Mo Kaya, the longest-running television drama anthology in Asia. From 2012 to 2016, she was the chief executive officer of ABS-CBN Corporation, the largest entertainment and media conglomerate in the Philippines. She is chief content officer and president of ABS-CBN University. Santos-Concio plays a role in TV and film production in the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lorna Tolentino</span> Filipino actress and film producer

Victoria Lorna Perez Aluquin-Fernandez, better known by her stage name Lorna Tolentino, sometimes known as L.T., an abbreviation of her screen name, is a Filipino actress, model, film producer and television personality. Dubbed as the "Prime Star", she is known for her dramatic roles in film and television and was the fourth actress to achieve the Grandslam status for her performance in the film Narito ang Puso Ko (1992). With a career spanning five decades, she has already appeared in 100 motion pictures and is cited by critics as one of the greatest Filipino actresses in Philippine cinema. She has received numerous accolades including seven FAMAS Awards, four Luna Awards, a Gawad Urian Award and two commendations from Asian Television Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel–Philippines relations</span> Bilateral relations

Israel–Philippines relations refers to the bilateral ties between the State of Israel and the Republic of the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathryn Bernardo</span> Filipino actress (born 1996)

Kathryn Chandria Manuel Bernardo is a Filipino actress. She began her career as a child actress, portraying young versions of lead characters in series such as It Might Be You (2003), Endless Love (2010) and Magkaribal (2010). She rose to superstardom after top-billing the remake of the classic Mara Clara (2010) with Julia Montes and has since established herself as one of the most popular and successful actors of the 21st century in the Philippines.

Ramon San Diego Bagatsing III, known professionally as Raymond Bagatsing, is a Filipino actor. Having jumpstarted his acting career in the early '90s, he is most notable for the role of Jaime Laurel in the hit ABS-CBN series Pusong Ligaw.

<i>Goyo: The Boy General</i> 2018 Filipino film

Goyo: The Boy General, or simply Goyo, is a 2018 Filipino epic war film starring Paulo Avelino as the titular "Boy General", Gregorio del Pilar, who fought and died at the Battle of Tirad Pass during the Philippine–American War. It was written, directed, edited, and scored by Jerrold Tarog, and is a sequel to the 2015 film Heneral Luna, which chronicled Antonio Luna's life. Additional members of the ensemble cast include Carlo Aquino, Mon Confiado, Epy Quizon, Gwen Zamora, Empress Schuck, Alvin Anson, and Rafa Siguion-Reyna. It was released on September 5, 2018.

<i>Ang Larawan</i> 2017 Filipino film

Ang Larawan, internationally released as The Portrait, is a 2017 Philippine musical film directed by Loy Arcenas.

<i>Mindanao</i> (film) 2019 Filipino film

Mindanao is a 2019 Philippine war drama film directed by Brillante Mendoza starring Judy Ann Santos and Allen Dizon. It was selected as the Philippine entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.

Cipriano Alwyn Sumulong Uytingco III, better known as Alwyn Uytingco, is a Filipino actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Metro Manila Film Festival</span> Annual Philippine film festival

The 2022 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is the 48th edition of the annual Metro Manila Film Festival held in Metro Manila and throughout the Philippines. It is being organized by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). During the festival, no foreign films are shown in Philippine theaters (excluding IMAX and 4D theaters).

President Manuel L. Quezon admitted roughly 1,200–1,300 Jews fleeing from Nazi Germany, German-occupied Europe, and Shanghai in Japanese-occupied China to the Philippine Commonwealth from 1937 to 1941.

References

  1. Cabana, Ysh (July 26, 2019). "When is historical fiction acceptable? Film Review: Quezon's Game (2018)". The Philippine Reporter. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Quezon's Game". Film Freeway. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "'Quezon's Game' earns 12 international film fest awards". Daily Tribune. January 16, 2019. Archived from the original on February 26, 2019. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  4. Unjieng, Philip Cu (May 10, 2019). "Quezon as humanitarian". The Philippine Star. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 Limos, Mario (May 16, 2019). "Quezon's Game: Movie Review". Esquirre. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  6. Padayhag, Michelle Joy (May 19, 2019). "'Quezon's Game' promises to be a touching, educational historical film". Cebu Daily News. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  7. Tenorio, Rich (February 20, 2020). "Little known Philippines' WWII rescue of Jews was capped by US interference". Times of Israel. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 "ABS-CBN's "Quezon's Game" to Premiere in Cinemas". Film Development Council of the Philippines. Retrieved May 27, 2019.[ permanent dead link ]
  9. Anarcon, James Patrick (August 1, 2019). "GMA-7 stars Derek Ramsay, Mylene Dizon to do original series for ABS-CBN online platform". PEP.ph.
  10. "Quezon's Game (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  11. "Quezon's Game Metacritic". Metacritic. January 29, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  12. 1 2 "'Quezon's Game' named Best Foreign Movie in Texas fest". Manila Standard. April 23, 2019. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  13. "'Quezon's Game' earns 12 international film fest awards". Daily Tribune. May 27, 2019. Archived from the original on February 26, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  14. "'Quezon's Game' named Best Foreign Movie in Texas fest". Manila Standard. May 27, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  15. "'Quezon's Game' wins big at 7th Urduja Heritage Film Awards". ABS-CBN News. January 2, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2021.