Asog (2025)
- Directed by
- Seán Devlin
- Country
- Philippines, Canada
- Runtime
- 1h 39m
- Rated
- PG
- Rating
- 6.0 of 10 from 1 voters
- Elsewhere
- IMDb
The catalogue in 3D
The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.
How it feels
This film follows survivors of Typhoon Haiyan on Sicogon Island as they fight to reclaim their ancestral land from a real estate company. The story shows ordinary people standing up against powerful corporate interests after losing their homes in the storm.
resilientsombergroundedpoignantgrittyhopefulslow-burnearnest
What happens
Asog is a 2023 docufiction film produced and directed by Seán Devlin and written by Rey Aclao, Devlin, and Arnel Pablo. An international co-production between the Philippines and Canada, the film's cast consists entirely of Typhoon Haiyan survivors, none of whom were trained actors. The film is executive produced by Adam McKay, Alan Cumming and Joel Kim Booster. Time Magazine described the film's impact as "a remarkable victory of society’s poorest over entrenched corporate interests." The film features residents of Sicogon Island who had their land stolen in the aftermath of the storm by the country's largest real estate company Ayala Land Inc. Private armed militia allegedly forced 6,000 people to abandon their ancestral land so the corporations could build a luxury resort. After Asog’s success on the festival circuit, Ayala paid $5.1 million USD in reparations to 784 displaced families who had refused to leave the island. Most of the money was used to build 474 new storm-resistant homes. The Ayala conglomerate allegedly sabotaged the film's Filipino premiere leading Rolling Stone Philippines to dub the film "The Biggest Movie That The Philippines has Never Seen". The film was a selection of the Cannes Docs-in-progress showcase, had its World Premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival and was an official selection of SXSW Sydney and the 67th BFI London Film Festivals. It also screened in competition at the 39th Warsaw and the 54th Goa International Film Festivals. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)
More like this
Paraiso
Whether the Weather Is Fine (2021)
Trap (2015)
When the Storm Fades (2018)
Food Delivery (2025)
Kono Basho (2026)
Death in the Land of Encantos (2007)
Balikbayan: From Victims to Survivors- More like this film, on a shelf you can walk up to.It's the lit case on the top shelf.