Oscars bid for Filipino animated film ‘Iti Mapukpukaw’ comes to an end
Still from cinemalaya.org
An Academy Award nomination for a Philippine film remains elusive with the country’s latest entry, Carl Joseph Papa’s animated film “Iti Mapukpukaw” (“The Missing”), unable to secure a spot on the Oscars’ International Feature shortlist.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced shortlists in 10 categories for the 96th Oscars on Dec. 22. To the disappointment of fans, “Iti Mapukpukaw” didn’t make the cut despite receiving critical acclaim and considerable Oscar buzz.
View this post on Instagram
The queer Filipino-Ilocano coming-of-age rotoscope film was a big winner at the 2023 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, bagging the Best Film award while being the first full-length animated feature on its roster. It also landed on Variety’s Oscars prediction list earlier this year.
“Iti Mapukpukaw” competed against the following films that made it on the International Feature shortlist:
Armenia, “Amerikatsi”
Bhutan, “The Monk and the Gun”
Denmark, “The Promised Land”
Finland, “Fallen Leaves”
France, “The Taste of Things”
Germany, “The Teachers’ Lounge”
Iceland, “Godland”
Italy, “Io Capitano”
Japan, “Perfect Days”
Mexico, “Totem”
Morocco, “The Mother of All Lies”
Spain, “Society of the Snow”
Tunisia, “Four Daughters”
Ukraine, “20 Days in Mariupol”
United Kingdom, “The Zone of Interest”
The film’s Oscar bid was cut short but it was a product of a community effort. The producers of “Iti Mapukpukaw” organized fundraisers and made a big effort to find people to help them organize the campaign. Jose Javier Reyes, the chair of this year’s selection committee for the country’s entry, noted in October that the film would need much support and heavy marketing. “It took Korea decades before they had ‘Parasite’ that won best picture and best director,” he said.
On or off the shortlist, “Iti Mapukpukaw” is still set to make its debut in a number of international film festivals next year such as the Palm Springs International Film Festival and the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
View this post on Instagram
And it’s still a film worth catching, if the cast and crew’s faith in the narrative is anything to go by. “When I read the script, I knew early on that it would be a beautiful project. This was because the way the subject matter, which is a very sensitive topic, was tackled was so moving. It’s not a fun topic to talk about, but the way Carl [Joseph Papa] handled it, his treatment on how a child processes trauma, I thought that was painful and beautiful at the same time,” said the film’s supporting actress Dolly de Leon.
You may also like: 3 Filipino-directed short films to catch at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival
Hopefully “Iti Mapukpukaw’s” short-lived yet memorable campaign will inspire more funding for the entire Filipino film industry.
