Critics' Picks Winner – About Us But Not About Us
The world premiere of the Philippines title "About Us But Not About Us" is truly both an intellectual and a cinematographic pleasure at this year’s PÖFF.
Masterfully orchestrated – with only a small budget, the setting basically consisting of a table, two chairs, two persons talking, one mysterious manuscript and some little food in-between – this two-men drama reminds me of Robert Bresson’s famous words about filmmaking: “Two types of films: those that employ the resources of the theatre (actors, direction, etc.) and use the camera in order to reproduce, and those that employ the resources of cinematography and use the camera to create. (Robert Bresson. “Notes on the Cinematograph”, New York Review of Books, 2016)
Chapeaux and maraming salamat for this brilliant Philippines masterpiece that combines all crafts that filmmaking comprises.
Niki Nikitin
Jun Robles Lana (1972) graduated from the University of Santo Tomas with a degree in Communication Arts. He is the youngest Filipino to be inducted in the Palanca Literary Awards (Philippines’ equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize) Hall of Fame. His first indie film, “Bwakaw”, won several international awards and was screened at Toronto, New York and Tokyo film festivals and was the Philippines’ Oscar entry for Best Foreign Film in 2012. His 18th full-length film, “Kalel, 15”, won the Best Director Award at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival Official Selection. His two last films, “Big Night” (2021) and “Your Mother’s Son” (2023), have also participated in PÖFF competition programmes.
Filmography:
(valik/selected): Gigil (2006), Bwakaw (2012), The Panti Sisters (2019), Kalel, 15 (PÖFF 2019), Big Night (Viimane võimalus PÖFF 2021), Anak Ka Ng Ina Mo (Sinu ema poeg, 2023), Sisa (2025)