A young, middle-class girl from the Philippines, Bona drops out of high school to follow Gardo, a minor actor in low-budget films. This decision angers her father, who kicks her out. Hoping for romance, Bona moves in with Gardo, but is treated like a maid, forced to endure his flings.

Bona, a key work by Lino Brocka selected in 1981 for the Directors’ Fortnight of the Cannes Film Festival, is closely tied to its lead actress and producer, Nora Aunor. As the first superstar to not embody Western standards of beauty, Nora, then aged 28, was adored by the working-class from which she came. Her role in Bona, a film she produced in the hopes of being recognized as a “serious” artist, flips the script of her life. Lino Brocka strips away her star status by casting her as a girl who gives up everything – her family and social status – to get closer to her idol Gardo.

As in Insiang or Manila in the Claws of Light, Brocka excels in grounding his melodrama in a vivid social context (the daily life in a slum, fi lmed in quasi-seclusion), yet steering clear of making poverty the sole focus of the fi lm. Facing an impressive Phillip Salvador (Jaguar) portraying a selfish monster, Nora Aunor’s Bona reminds of Adèle H. – a character blinded by unrequited love. Seldom seen and unavailable since its initial release, Bona embarks on a new life on the big screen in a stunning 4K restoration! -KANI RELEASING

Doors Open 30 Minutes Before Showtime.