Prime Video Snags Filipino Sundance Film In My Mother's Skin About a Flesh-Eating Fairy
Amazon Prime Video has acquired the worldwide rights to the Filipino film In My Mother’s Skin, which is set to premiere at Sundance Film Festival on Friday, January 20. Written and directed by Kenneth Dagatan, In My Mother’s Skin is the only non-English film premiering at Sundance’s Midnight Selection this year.
Following its Sundance premiere, In My Mother’s Skin will be released on Prime Video in multiple countries by the end of 2023.
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The Filipino-Singaporean-Taiwanese production is led by a primarily Filipino cast, which includes Beauty Gonzalez, Felicity Kyle Napuli, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, James Mavie Estrella, and Angeli Bayani. Like Dagatan’s first film, Ma, In My Mother’s Skin is a horror film rooted in Filipino folklore and Catholicism.
“We’re proud to support Kenneth and to be the home for the best Filipino storytellers across all genres. It is exciting to see this beguiling movie generate international recognition in the Sundance Film Festival’s Midnight Section,” said Amazon Studio APAC’s Head of Originals Erika North. “In My Mother’s Skin is a uniquely Filipino story and a highly elevated horror film. We are delighted to bring this movie to not just audiences in the Philippines but to Prime Video members worldwide.”
The film is set in the Philippines during the Japanese occupation at the end of World War II, and follows Tala, a young girl desperate to protect her dying mother Ligaya and younger brother Bayani. Her life is interrupted when her father, a merchant, leaves the family alone in their isolated colonial house as he tries to barter their freedom with the Japanese. Tala, in her desperation, seeks the help of a mystical forest spirit, but her misplaced trust in the beguiling, flesh-eating fairy has dire consequences.
The Philippines’ spooky local folklore will soon find an international audience when In My Mother’s Skin drops on Prime Video in multiple countries. Described by Sundance as a “dark fantasy,” the film doesn’t shy away from violence and gore.
“I’m excited that In My Mother's Skin has been recognized at such an important festival like Sundance, and will now also have the chance to be watched by a global audience on Prime Video,” said Dagatan. “This is truly a moment for Filipino filmmakers to be seen by the international audience, and I hope this opens doors for more Filipino content to be watched by the rest of the world."
In My Mother’s Skin is produced by Bradley Liew, Bianca Balbuena, Huang Junxiang, and Stefano Centini.
Catch In My Mother’s Skin on Prime Video in the Philippines soon.
