MONDAY NIGHT MOVIE presents HIMALA

Selected and introduced by Amir Muhammad

Film Screening

Mon 6 July, 8pm

Presented by The Annexe Gallery

Admission Free, bring your own snacks


Monday Night Movie is a new series of monthly film screenings at The Annexe Gallery, with titles chosen and introduced by guest curators.

Our first title, chosen by filmmaker/writer/publisher Amir Muhammad, is Himala (“Miracle”, 1982) an award-winning Filipino film directed by the late Philippine National Artist Ishmael Bernal.

Based on a 1967 incident and news report, Himala tells the story of Elsa, a barrio lass whose visions of the Virgin Mary changes her life and causes hysteria in a poor, isolated village. The film is centered on the issues of religious faith and faithlessness. The film stars Philippine superstar Nora Aunor in the leading role.

The movie premiered at the 1982 Metro Manila Film Festival, and in 1983, became the first – and so far the only – Filipino film to be included in the "Competition Section" of the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival. Since then, Himala has been exhibited in a number of film festivals around the world. In 2008, Himala won the 2008 CNN Asia Pacific Screen Awards Viewers Choice Award for Best Asia-Pacific Film of all Time.


ABOUT THE PRESENTER

Amir Muhammad is a writer, publisher and occasional filmmaker. Two of his previous documentaries, Lelaki Komunis Terakhir and Apa Khabar Orang Kampung, are banned in Malaysia. His works have screened in numerous international film festivals including Berlin and Sundance. He set up Matahari Books in 2007 to publish local non-fiction and film-related books. By the end of this year it would have published 20 books.