Tel Aviv, Israel — The Filipino film “Quezon’s Game” premiered in Tel Aviv, Israel as a commencement to the 2nd Philippine Film Festival at the Cinematheque Tel Aviv last 27 October 2019.
Over 200 guests, including Israeli government officials and members of the diplomatic corps attended the special screening of the movie which dramatizes the historic decision of Philippine President Manuel Quezon to welcome into the country the Jewish refugees fleeing the Holocaust in Germany and Austria.
The film explores the events behind Quezon’s decision and the obstacles he had to overcome to bring Jewish refugees to the Philippines. Initially released in the international film festival circuit in December 2018, “Quezon’s Game” has taken home 23 awards, including Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Foreign Film from various film festivals such as the World Fest, the IndieFest Film Awards, and the Maryland International Film Festival. It is scheduled to screen commercially worldwide by year 2020.
“It has been over 80 years since the Philippines’ doors opened to the Jewish people, and the seeds of friendship planted during Quezon’s time continue to blossom today,” said Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ernesto Abella in his welcome remarks.
Deputy Director General for Asia and the Pacific at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mr. Gilad Cohen also spoke at the premiere, extending his compliments and saying that the film was the story “… not [of] the kindness of one man but of the entire Filipino nation.”
This year’s Philippine Film Festival in Israel was arranged through the efforts of ABS-CBN’s Star Cinema and KINETEK in partnership with Cinematheque Tel Aviv, Cinematheque Jerusalem, and Cinematheque Haifa. The Philippine Film Festival will run until 24 November, with the following schedule:
27 October 2019 – Quezon’s Game, Cinematheque Tel Aviv (Special Screening)
03 November 2019 – Balangiga: Howling Wilderness, Cinematheque Jerusalem
10 November 2019 – Oro, Plata, Mata, Cinematheque Haifa
17 November 2019 – Balangiga: Howling Wilderness, Cinematheque Tel Aviv
24 November 2019 – Oro, Plata, Mata, Cinematheque Jerusalem.
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For more information, visit https://www.telavivpe.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.philippine-embassy.org.il or https://www.facebook.com/PHinIsrael.
