Philippines/2022—directed by Martika Ramirez Escobar | 99 minutes

Once a groundbreaking figure in the Filipino film industry during its action movie glory days, Leonor (the wonderful Sheila Francisco) now struggles with mounting bills, the untimely loss of her son, and the general indignities of old age. While revisiting an unfinished script about a fearless protagonist trying to avenge his brother’s murder, the cinema-obsessed and irresistibly cranky Leonor suffers one more test of her endurance when she’s struck on the head by a falling television set.

As she lays unconscious in the hospital, fantasy and reality blur when Leonor finds herself awake inside of her own script, becoming – not surprisingly – the hero of her own improbable tale. An innovative blend of pulpy action homages, playful comedy, and touching family drama, Leonor Will Never Die is an imaginative, witty tribute to the art of moviemaking – and the joy of movie-watching.

Winner, Special Jury Prize for Innovative Spirit, 2022 Sundance Film Festival; Best Narrative Feature Award, Center for Asian American Media (CAAMFEST 2022). In Filipino with English subtitles. 

“Wonderfully unclassifiable! Martika Ramirez Escobar’s heartfelt, zany tribute to the magic of movies and the power of love.”  – A.O. Scott, The New York Times