Columbia picks Patay na si Hesus for distribution

Columbia Pictures picks for distribution the Philippines’ Patay na si Hesus, starring Cannes Film Festival 2016’s Best Actress Jaclyn Jose for Ma’ Rosa.

Home to blockbuster films such as Spider-Man: Homecoming, the Resident Evil franchise, and the James Bond movies Spectre and Skyfall, the Sony-owned company marks its return to local movie distribution with the crowd-pleasing comedy produced by T-Rex Entertainment Productions.

“Columbia Pictures Philippines is proud to be named the distributor of Patay na si Hesus. Columbia has always been supportive of the local movie industry and we see this as a step to getting more involved in the development of Filipino films. We couldn’t be happier to be working with the folks at T-Rex in bringing this film to audiences nationwide,” says Columbia Pictures Philippines managing director Christopher Sy.

With the scenic route from Cebu to Dumaguete as backdrop, the movie serves up an unforgettably riotous road trip in which a single mother (Jose) drives her children in a cramped mini-van so they can pay their final respects to their father before he is laid to rest. The movie is in Bisaya and Tagalog. To prepare for her role, Jose took Cebuano lessons several weeks before the shoot.

Early audience reviews are in, and they are ecstatic.

“Sige kog katawa! (I couldn’t stop laughing!) Irreverent, funny and with just the right amount of kookiness,” says Jerrold Tarog, director of the groundbreaking hit Heneral Luna.

Respected screenwriter Ricky Lee notes that the film “celebrates the joyous imperfections of every Filipino family” and praises its “superb cast of quirky yet lovable characters.” It is, he says, a movie “that will leave you crying and laughing at the same time.”

Directed by Cebuano filmmaker Victor Villanueva, Patay na si Hesus is one of the 12 films selected by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) for its first Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP), which starts on Aug. 16 in cinemas nationwide.