MANILA -- (UPDATED) Mike de Leon’s first feature film “Itim” has been selected for this year’s Cannes Classics, the special section at the annual Cannes Film Festival dedicated to restored classics, documentaries about cinema, tributes and masterclasses.

The good news was officially announced on Monday night (Philippine time), May 2, via the Festival de Cannes website.

This also marks the world premiere of the 2022 restored version of “Itim,” which joins this year’s list that includes Jean Eustache’s “The Mother and the Whore,” “The Last Waltz” by Martin Scorsese, “The Trial” by Orson Welles, two episodes of Ethan Hawke’s event series on Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman, among others.

Now on its 75th edition, the prestigious international film festival will take place from May 17 to May 28 at the scenic resort city of Cannes on the French Riviera.

“For personal reasons, this vindicates my long-held belief that you don't have to do poverty to get noticed, unlike in Lino's (Brocka) time. Especially if ‘Batch 81’ and ‘Kisapmata’ are released simultaneously with ‘Itim,’ e 'di puwede pala,” De Leon told ABS-CBN News. The film is a ghost story that shows parallelisms in Catholic rites and occultism as it also explores father-and-son relationship.

De Leon finished “Itim” in 1976, a year after he produced Brocka’s “Maynila Sa Mga Kuko Ng Liwanag,” in which he was also cinematographer. Incidentally, “Maynila” was part of Cannes Classics in 2015. De Leon told ABS-CBN News he was also the cinematographer of “Itim” though uncredited, together with Rody Lacap and Ely Cruz.

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Ghost story

The film is about a magazine photographer Jun Torres, played by a very young Tommy Abuel. Set during Holy Week, Jun returns to his hometown San Ildefonso to visit Dr. Torres, his ailing wheelchair-bound, mute father played by the legendary Mario Montenegro.

Dr. Torres has been paralyzed after a car accident caused by a mysterious event that is later revealed in the film.

Jun’s visit is partly work as he photographs flagellants on the streets, church-goers, saints, old ladies singing-chanting the “Pasyon” and anyone who catches his fancy for a magazine he works for in Manila. One of his subjects is the mysterious beautiful barrio lass Teresa, played by a very young Charo Santos in her first lead starring role.

As comic relief, Moody Diaz as the typical snooty old housemaid Aling Bebeng in the Torres household almost always steals the scenes with her sarcastic witty remarks.

“Itim” also stars the legendary Filipino actress Mona Lisa as Aling Pining, the mother of Teresa and acclaimed character actress Susan Valdez as Rosa, the missing sister of Teresa. Theater legend Sarah Joaquin has a special cameo as Aling Angelina, the “espiritista” or spirit medium in the séance scene.

“Itim” was restored at L’Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna, Italy -- the same company that restored De Leon’s “Kisapmata,” “Batch 81” and “Kakabakaba Ka Ba?”

De Leon said the restoration was done using the original 35mm negative and optical soundtrack, stored at the British Film Institute. The negative, scanned in 4K, benefited from a 2K digital restoration done at the Immagine Ritrovata Laboratory, Bologna. Color grading was supervised by De Leon and co-director of photography, Rody Lacap.

De Leon, who is now working on the script of his new film titled “Sa Bisperas,” told ABS-CBN News he won’t be able to go Cannes. His “Itim” co-screenwriter, the New York-based Gil Quito, will instead represent him. It was suggested that De Leon would just write a statement to be read by Quito.

“This could be interesting because we will have a new president by then. My first participation in a film festival was in Los Angeles where ‘Itim’ was screened. During the question-and-answer portion, I made a remark about the Marcoses, which got me into trouble,” De Leon said.

“My passport was pulled, interrogated by members of Marcos's Board of Censors, and told in no uncertain terms that no one can say anything negative, or flippant about Marcos and Imelda. Looking back, I remember them puffed up with undeserved power, like the arrogant jurors in my film ‘Aliwan Paradise’. I couldn’t go to Locarno for ‘Kung Mangarap Ka’t Magising.’ Strange, because ‘Itim’ was not even a political film. Now it’s a different matter, ghost story or not, I may issue a statement, whoever wins. My new video carries this new message -- a quote from Rizal about not learning from the past. I add that that is our very unique tragic flaw,” De Leon added.

Distribution in Europe

In 2021, De Leon agreed to have his restored films distributed in Europe by Paris-based Carlotta Films. The French distribution catalogue includes selected works of masters like Pier Paolo Pasolini, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Yasujirō Ozu, Yoshishige Yoshida, Brian de Palma, Akira Kurosawa and our very own, National Artist for Film Lino Brocka.

Vincent Paul-Boncour, co-founder of Carlotta Films, wrote in the program notes for Cannes about “Itim”: “With this remarkable first film on the theme of alienation, a gothic tribute to [Michelangelo] Antonioni's ‘Blow-Up’, Mike de Leon has established himself as one of the great names in Filipino auteur cinema.”