Film production company Project 8 Projects has unveiled the official trailer for Iti Mapukpukaw (The Missing), the first-ever full length animated entry at the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival.
Project 8 Projects shared the one minute and 30-second trailer on its Instagram account, along with the caption, “After over a year of development and seven months of animation, our youth-led production team and over 90 Filipino animators proudly present Iti Mapukpukaw (The Missing).”
The trailer follows a young, mouthless man named Eric who discovers the dead body of his uncle Rogelio in his home. A vision of an alien spacecraft then appeared, triggering him to recall his memories.
Towards the end of the video, a voice can be heard telling Eric that some powers have been transferred to him and that he must be the king of a new planet. The trailer ended with him apparently hanging from a spacecraft.
Iti Mapukpukaw is a Filipino-Ilocano animated film written and directed by Carl Joseph Papa. According to Project 8 Projects, it took Papa almost a decade to earn a spot in the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival.
Golden Globe and British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) nominee Dolly de Leon, Gawad Urian nominee Gio Gahol, and Asian Academy Creative Award winner Carlo Aquino will lend their voices to the film.
De Leon, meanwhile, could not contain her happiness as she shared the trailer on her Instagram account. The FAMAS-winner said that participating in an animated film is something that she can now tick off her bucket list.
“I couldn’t be prouder of this first in my career as an actor,” she wrote in the caption.
“This film is also extra special to me because my character speaks Ilokano here – the language from my dad’s side,” she added.
Aside from Iti Mapukpukaw, other entries in this year’s film festival are Dustin Celestino’s Ang Duyan ng Magiting, John Rogers’ As If It’s True, Kenneth De La Cruz’s Bulawan Nga Usa, Jopy Arnaldo’s Gitling, Ryan Machado’s Huling Palabas, Sheryl Rose Andres’ Maria, Samantha Lee’s Rookie, Gian Arre’s Tether, and Kevin Mayuga’s When This Is All Over.
The 19th edition of the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival will be held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) on August 4–13. The event has always been held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), but it is currently undergoing renovations.
These films will also be screened in cinemas at Ayala Malls Manila Bay, Glorietta, Trinoma, and UP Town Center.
