Leonor Will Never Die (Filipino: Ang Pagbabalik ng Kwago, lit. "Return of the Owl") is a 2022 Philippine psychological comedy drama film written and directed by Martika Ramirez Escobar, in her directorial debut. The film stars Sheila Francisco as a retired screenwriter who, after falling into a coma, finds herself the action hero of her unfinished screenplay. The supporting cast includes Bong Cabrera, Rocky Salumbides, and Anthony Falcon. The film is an homage to Filipino action films of the 1970s and '80s.
The film's Tagalog name is named after the 1978 single and one of the soundtrack songs Pagbabalik ng Kuwago by the Pinoy jazz-rock band Anak Bayan, led by the late drummer and vocalist Edmond "Bosyo" Fortuno.
Leonor Will Never Die premiered at the World Cinema Dramatic Competition of the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, the first Filipino film to compete since The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros in 2006. The film received positive reviews, with Escobar being awarded the Special Jury Prize for Innovative Spirit. The film also premiered in the Philippines, opening the 18th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival at the Cultural Center of the Philippines on August 5, 2022, marking the festival's return to on-site screening following the earlier challenges to hold the festival in its original form due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was acquired by Music Box Films for North American distribution in February 2022, and was released across North America in a limited release starting on November 25, 2022.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
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