Philippine-Produced Documentary Wins at Cannes Film Festival

In an online ceremony last night, June 26, Philippine-produced documentary Holy Craft won the Docs-in-Progress Award at the Cannes Docs.

Directed Joseph Mangat and produced by former high school teacher Alemberg Ang, Holy Craft, according to Variety, examines "the peculiarities of religion, labor and capital intersecting at a Catholic handicrafts factory in the Philippines." 

“Through his project, the director offers a look into the backdoor of the Catholic religion business, highlighting its most hidden protagonists, the poor workers of a profit-based economy,” said jury member Lina Soualem. “It’s an intriguing and fascinating subject tackled through an observational point of view with a touch of the absurd which allows us to dive into the contradictions of our contemporary world, balancing between the sacred and the profane.”

Cannes Docs is the Cannes Film Festival's recreation of its Doc Corner, transporting a valued asset of the film festival into the digital sphere as more and more events shift online. According to Marche Du Film's website, it "offers multiple opportunities to documentary filmmakers and to all professionals working with feature creative docs, particularly specialized sales agents and top international festival programmers."

In another Facebook post, Ang thanks the entire crew for their hard work: "I would like to share this award to our very small but super talented crew. Our cinematographer Albert Banzon, editor Ilsa Nastassja Malsi, sound recordist Dennis Payumo Pope John Pau, sound designer Mikko Quizon of Wapak Studios, production manager Brandon Boyd Magallanes, and creative consultant John Dalog Torres! Congrats guys! We still have a few more steps in working on our film before we finally get to release it."

For winning, Holy Craft will take home $11,200 as well as professional project follow-up, supported by the International Emerging Film Talent Assn. (IEFTA).