'Ang Nawawala' opens Sept. 12

MANILA, Philippines - Director Marie Jamora’s Ang Nawawala enjoyed a successful run during this year’s Cinemalaya Film Festival, winning Best Original Musical Score and the Audience Choice Award — a prize made possible by positive word of mouth from fans who sold out almost every screening.

The film stars Dominic Roco, Felix Roco, Dawn Zulueta, Boboy Garrovillo, Marc Abaya, and Annicka Dolonius. It tells the story of Gibson Bonifacio, a young man who stopped speaking when he was a child. Now 20 years old, he returns to Manila from his studies abroad, and finds his family trying to keep it together, his mother still hurting from a tragic loss in the past. Against the backdrop of the vibrant local music scene, Gibson’s childhood best friend tries to reconnect with him, while he unexpectedly finds his first, real romantic relationship. Through the holidays, Gibson reconsiders and redefines his relationships with his family, his friends, and with himself.

Ang Nawawala arrives in theaters around the country this Wednesday, Sept. 12. Catch the film at SM Cinemas in Mall of Asia, North Edsa, Megamall, Southmall, Bacoor, Cebu, Iloilo, Pampanga; Robinsons Movieworld in Galleria, Place Manila, Metro East, Place Bacolod, and at Eastwood, Festival Supermall, Newport Cinema, Lucky Chinatown, Gaisano G-Mall Davao, and Gaisano Mall Cagayan De Oro. The film has an MTRCB rating of R13.

“All we want to do is share our labor of love with everyone,” says Marie Jamora. The young filmmaker updated the film for its commercial release.

The producers have begun a Twitter contest, where users are asked to take photos of themselves enacting gestures from the film and send them to Ang Nawawala’s Twitter account (@AngNawawala).

“They can win autographed merchandise from the film,” says Jamora. “We’re trying to find ways to thank our supporters, because it’s because of them that we have such good buzz around the movie. It’s because of them that we have a general release at all, because the people who liked it talked about it and told their friends to see it.”

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For more information, visit angnawawala.com, twitter.com/angnawawala, angnawawala.tumblr.com, and facebook.com/angnawawala.

Details regarding the film’s soundtrack will be revealed on Sept. 12