Filipiñana

Seventeen-year-old Isabel is a ‘tee girl’ at a lush country club outside Manila, ensuring golf balls are always perfectly lined up for the club’s elite guests. The immaculate grounds and dutiful staff seem utterly alien from Isabel’s home in rural Ilocos, as she observes the resort’s goings-on with intense curiosity. Her attention is particularly drawn to Dr. Palanca, the club’s eccentric president. With the entrancing pace of a hot summer’s day, a mesmerisingly obsessive control of visual language and a sharp eye for social critique, Filipiñana is one of the year’s most exciting debuts from director Rafael Manuel, a mentee of filmmaker Jia Zhangke. Winner, Sundance Special Jury Award for Creative Vision.