Two Filipino Films To Be Screened In 37th Portland International Film Festival

Two films by Filipino directors are among the 124 motion pictures that will be screened in the upcoming 37th Portland International Film Festival. These are Thy Womb by Brillante Mendoza and Transit by Hannah Espia. Thy Womb will be shown on February 15 and 20. Transit will be shown on February 13 and 15.

Thy Womb was released in 2012 and it tells the story of a Muslim fisherman and his wife who would do almost anything to have a child. It was acclaimed by critics, winning several trophies from award-giving bodies including the Cinema Critics' Prize at the Venice Film Festival. It stars Nora Aunor and Lovi Poe. Read the review by Variety here.

Transit on the other hand is a drama that chronicles the plight of a Filipino family struggling to eke a living in Tel Aviv. Things get complicated when Israel passed a new law which will have the children of foreign workers deported to their home countries. Transit was the Philippines' entry for the Best Foreign Language Film in the Oscar Awards.

For a full list of the over one hundred films scheduled to be shown in the festival, click here. The movies in the lineup include The Wind Rises (an animated film by Hayao Miyazaki), The Rocket, The Good Road, Child's Pose, Of Horses and Men, Omar, and The Missing Picture.