This screening will be accompanied by an introduction from Josh Siegal, film curator at Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), who first conceived and organised the programme Mike De Leon: Self-Portrait of a Filipino Filmmaker.
Kakabakaba Ka Ba? (Will Your Heart Beat Faster?, 1980)
Director: Mike De Leon
Language: Japanese, Filipino; English subtitles..
Country: Philippines
Runtime: 104 min
Rating: NC16
Full Synopsis
“A gem of social satire…. Generations to come will see it as a charming slapstick farce sitting on top of a volcano” (Agustin Sotto). Mike De Leon, in Last Look Back, writes, “Looking back, I think the film is more surreal than satirical, an abnormal combination of very normal elements from everyday life. The premise was: what if fake Catholic priests and nuns (or rogue elements of the Church?) and Japanese technology (the Chinese connection came later) were mixed in some lethal cinematic brew, the point of the story being the spread of drug addiction among Filipino children?”
The restoration of Kakabakaba Ka Ba? by ABS-CBN Sagip Pelikula was made possible using the 35mm original camera and sound negatives preserved by the Asian Film Archive.
Followed by:
Saan? Sino? Paano? (1980)
Director: Ding Achacoso
Language: Filipino
Country: Philippines
Runtime: 14 mins
Rating: TBA
Full Synopsis
Combining behind-the-scenes footage and a playful, teasing dialogue, Ding Achacoso’s Saan? Sino? Paano? is a spirited romp through the making of Mike De Leon’s exhilarating musical comedy Kakabakaba Ka Ba? (Will Your Heart Beat Faster?) (1980).
This screening is part of Retrospective: Mike De Leon. For the full programme, please click here.
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For further assistance, please contact us at ticketing@asianfilmarchive.org
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