Bona (film)

{{Infobox film

| name = Bona

| image = Official poster of Bona.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Official poster of the film for the 1980 Metro Manila Film Festival

| director = Lino Brocka

| producer = Nora Villamayor

| writer = Cenen Ramones

| starring = {{ubl|Nora Aunor|Phillip Salvador}}

| music = Lutgardo Labad

| cinematography = Conrado Baltazar

| editing = Augusto Salvador

| studio = NV Productions

| distributor = NV Productions

| released = {{Film date|1980|12|25}}

| runtime = 85 minutes

| country = Philippines

| language = Filipino

| budget =

| gross = {{Philippine Peso|13 million|link=yes}}

}}

Bona is a 1980 Filipino drama film directed by Lino Brocka from a story and screenplay written by Cenen Ramones. Starring Nora Aunor as the title character, the film tells the story of a young girl infatuated with a bit actor, played by Phillip Salvador. Aunor also produced the film through her production company NV Productions.

The film was one of the official entries to the 1980 Metro Manila Film Festival, and subsequently premiered at the Directors' Fortnight of the 1981 Cannes International Film Festival. Aunor received her second Gawad Urian for Best Actress for her role.

In 2024, the digitally restored version of the film premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival during the Cannes Classics section. It had its local Philippine premier as the closing film of the 2024 Cinemalaya Film Festival.{{Cite web |last=Tariman |first=Pablo A. |date=2024-08-10 |title=Brocka's restored 'Bona' closes 20th Cinemalaya |url=https://verafiles.org/articles/brockas-restored-bona-closes-20th-cinemalaya |access-date=2024-08-10 |website=VERA Files |language=en-US}}

Cast

{{castlist|

Nora Aunor as Bona
Phillip Salvador as Gardo
Raquel Montesa as Nancy
Rustica Carpio as Bona's mother
Marissa Delgado as Katrina
Venchito Galvez as Bona's father
Nanding Josef as Nilo
Spanky Manikan as Bona's brother
Archi Adamos as Tambay
Rene Hawkins as Rene
Joel Lamangan as Director
The PETA Kalinangan Ensemble
Naty Mallares

}}

Production

=Writing=

Cenen Ramones, the film's writer, originally wrote Bona as a teleplay for a television series Babae, with Laurice Guillen playing the title role. When the teleplay was adapted for film, director Lino Brocka decided to make changes, with the film being focused on Bona's obsession with Gardo, instead of the love angle. Brocka believed that Bona's infatuation with Gardo was deemed "too standard".{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7vhkAAAAMAAJ|last=Hernando|first=Mario|title=Lino Brocka: The Artist and His Times|date=1993|publisher=Cultural Center of the Philippines|isbn=9789718546161|accessdate=April 25, 2025|pages=234-236|via=Google Books}}

Release

The film was an official entry to the 6th Metro Manila Film Festival. It has its international premiere at the 34th Cannes Film Festival on May 1981, as part of the Directors' Fortnight.{{Cite web |last=Napales |first=Ruben |date=2024-05-14 |title=[Only IN Hollywood] 43 years later, Nora Aunor's 'Bona' returns to Cannes |url=https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/movies/only-in-hollywood-nora-aunor-bona-returns-cannes-film-festival-2024/ |access-date=2024-08-10 |website=Rappler |language=en-US}} This marked the second appearance of director Lino Brocka at the Cannes Directors' Fortnight, following the premiere of Insiang at the 29th Cannes Film Festival in May 1976.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=May 1, 2024 |title='Bona' by Lino Brocka to be screened at Cannes 2024 |url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/artandculture/905416/bona-by-lino-brocka-to-be-screened-at-cannes-2024/story/ |access-date= |website=GMA News Online |language=}}

=Restoration=

After its initial release in 1980, the film remained largely unseen.{{Cite web |date=August 8, 2024 |title=BONA COMES HOME |url=https://culturalcenter.gov.ph/press-release/bona-comes-home/ |website=Cultural Center of the Philippines}} Amongst Philippine film circles, it was believed that the film was lost after negatives and prints were destroyed in a fire.

The restoration of Bona was led by French distribution company Carlotta Films, headed by its CEO and co-founder Vincent Paul-Boncour, and Kani Releasing. In his search for an original copy, Paul-Boncour learned of original negatives that were stored with a Paris film lab following its original Cannes premiere. The discovery was initially made by film historian Jose B. Capino, during his research for a book on director Lino Brocka, after interviewing Cannes film scout Pierre Rissient. The film restoration was carried out at Cité de Mémoire, with sound restoration handled by L.E. Diapason.{{cite news |last1=Frater |first1=Frater |date=May 14, 2024 |title=Lino Brocka's Cannes Classic 'Bona,' With Philippines' Female Superstar Nora Aunor, Set for Release in U.S., Franc |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/lino-brocka-nora-aunor-bona-philippines-restored-film-cannes-1235999388/ |accessdate=May 15, 2024 |publisher=Variety}} In 2023, the first 20 minutes of the restoration was screened at the Marché du Film of Cannes.{{Cite web |date=May 28, 2023 |title=Marché du Film is back with a vengeance |url=https://mb.com.ph/2023/5/28/marche-du-film-is-back-with-a-vengeance |access-date=2024-08-10 |website=Manila Bulletin |language=en}}

The full restored film premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival as part of the Cannes Classics section.{{cite news |title=Lino Brocka's Cannes Classic 'Bona,' With Philippines' Female Superstar Nora Aunor, Set for Release in U.S., France |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/lino-brocka-nora-aunor-bona-philippines-restored-film-cannes-1235999388/ |access-date=24 April 2025 |agency=Variety |publisher=Variety Magazine |date=14 May 2024}} earning raves from Oscar winning filmmaker Sean Baker and other Festival attendees.{{cite news |title=Hollywood filmmaker Sean Baker, others rave over restored 'Bona' film in Cannes |url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/artandculture/907794/sean-baker-rave-over-restored-bona-film-in-cannes/story/ |access-date=24 April 2025 |agency=GMA News Online |publisher=GMA Network |date=23 May 2024}} It had its local Philippine premier as the closing film of the 2024 Cinemalaya Film Festival.{{Cite web |last=Tariman |first=Pablo A. |date=2024-08-10 |title=Brocka's restored 'Bona' closes 20th Cinemalaya |url=https://verafiles.org/articles/brockas-restored-bona-closes-20th-cinemalaya |access-date=2024-08-10 |website=VERA Files |language=en-US}} The film will also be screen at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival as part of the TIFF Classics section.{{Cite web |last=Vlessing |first=Etan |date=2024-08-08 |title=Toronto Film Fest Adds Wang Bing, Roberto Minervini, Miguel Gomes Films to Wavelengths |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/tiff-2024-wavelengths-lineup-miguel-gomes-wang-bing-1235969119/ |access-date=2024-08-09 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}

Reception

=Critical reception=

Bona has been considered as one of the Philippines' greatest movies. It was also cited as one of "The Best 100 Films in the World" by the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, USA in 1997 and has been screened in different film festivals around the world, albeit receiving mixed reviews.

In a contemporary review for The New York Times, critic Lawrence Van Gelder noted the film was interesting as a glimpse of Philippine life, but found fault in the directing and writing for failing to give valid explanations to the obsession.{{cite news|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9507EEDA143AF93AA2575AC0A962948260/ |title='BONA' GIVES A GLIMPSE OF LIFE IN THE PHILIPPINES|access-date=January 24, 2013 | work=The New York Times|first=Lawrence|last=Van Gelder|date=September 19, 1984}}

Barbara Wurm, Berlin- and Vienna-based film historian, critic, and programmer, described Philippine cinema's Superstar as "the awesome Nora Aunor", during the film's screening at the 47 Vienna International Film Festival in 2009.{{cite web|last=Wurm|first=Barbara|url=http://sensesofcinema.com/2010/festival-reports/vienna-international-film-festival// |title=Leftist Glamour? or, Home Runs and Explorations: The 47th Viennale: Vienna International Film Festival|date=April 5, 2010|access-date=January 24, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100409075330/http://sensesofcinema.com/2010/festival-reports/vienna-international-film-festival//|archive-date=April 9, 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.cargo-film.de/festival/cargo-auf-der-viennale/|first=Lukas|last=Foerster |title=CARGO auf der Viennale|access-date=January 24, 2013|date=October 29, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160915075430/http://www.cargo-film.de/festival/cargo-auf-der-viennale/|archive-date=September 15, 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://racsoledger.blogspot.com/2010/04/racsoview-bona-1980.html/|title=RacsOview: Bona (1980)|access-date=January 24, 2013}}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Upon the release of the restoration at the Cannes Classics, Bona received positive comments and reviews.{{Cite web |last=Nepales |first=Ruben |date=2024-05-23 |title=[Only IN Hollywood] Restored 'Bona' draws raves as biggest Filipino delegation gathers at Cannes |url=https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/movies/only-in-hollywood-restored-bona-draws-raves-cannes-2024/ |access-date=2024-08-10 |website=Rappler |language=en-US}}

=Accolades=

width="90%" class="wikitable sortable"
width="10%"\| Year ! width="30%"\| Group ! width="25%"\| Category ! width="25%"\| Nominee ! width="10%"\| Result
align="center"\| 1982 \| align="left"\| Figueira da Foz International Film Festival \| align="left"\| Premio de le Juri de la Federacion Internationale des Cine Clubs (Jury Prize of the International Federation of Cinema Clubs) \| align="center"\| \| {{won}}
rowspan="5" align="center"\| 1981 \| align="left"\| Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) Awards \| align="left"\| Best Actress \| align="center"\| Nora Aunor \| {{nom}}
rowspan="4" align="left"\| Gawad Urian Awards (Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino) \| align="left"\| Best Actress \| align="center"\| Nora Aunor \| {{won}}
align="left"\| Best Actor \| align="center" \| Philip Salvador \| {{nom}}
align="left"\| Best Director \| align="center" \| Lino Brocka \| {{nom}}
align="left"\| Best Picture \| align="center"\| \| {{nom}}

width="90%" class="wikitable sortable"

width="10%"| Year

! width="30%"| Group

! width="25%"| Category

! width="25%"| Nominee

! width="10%"| Result

align="center"| 1982

| align="left"| Figueira da Foz International Film Festival

| align="left"| Premio de le Juri de la Federacion Internationale des Cine Clubs (Jury Prize of the International Federation of Cinema Clubs)

| align="center"|

| {{won}}

rowspan="5" align="center"| 1981

| align="left"| Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) Awards

| align="left"| Best Actress

| align="center"| Nora Aunor

| {{nom}}

rowspan="4" align="left"| Gawad Urian Awards (Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino)

| align="left"| Best Actress

| align="center"| Nora Aunor

| {{won}}

align="left"| Best Actor

| align="center" | Philip Salvador

| {{nom}}

align="left"| Best Director

| align="center" | Lino Brocka

| {{nom}}

align="left"| Best Picture

| align="center"|

| {{nom}}

Adaptations

In 2012, as part of its 45th season, the Philippine Educational Theater Association staged a contemporary adaptation written by Layeta Bucoy and directed by Socrates 'Soxie" Tapacio. Eugene Domingo played Bona, while EA Guzman played Gino Sanchez, the stage counterpart of the film's Gardo.{{Cite web |title=Bona: From screen to stage |url=https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2012/08/24/841392/bona-screen-stage |access-date=2024-08-10 |website=Philstar.com}}