Leonor Will Never Die

Leonor Will Never Die
North American theatrical release poster
Directed byMartika Ramirez Escobar
Written byMartika Ramirez Escobar
Produced byMonster Jimenez
Mario Cornejo
StarringSheila Francisco
Bong Cabrera
Rocky Salumbides
Anthony Falcon
CinematographyCarlos Mauricio
Edited byLawrence Ang
Music byAlyana Cabral
Pan De Coco
Production
companies
Arkeofilms
ANIMA
Distributed byCercamon World Sales (Philippines)
Music Box Films (North America)[1]
Release dates
  • January 21, 2022 (2022-01-21) (Sundance)
  • August 5, 2022 (2022-08-05) (Cinemalaya)
  • November 25, 2022 (2022-11-25) (North America)
Running time
99 minutes
CountryPhilippines
LanguageFilipino
Box office$32,950[2][3]

Leonor Will Never Die (Filipino: Ang Pagbabalik ng Kwago, lit. "Return of the Owl") is a 2022 Filipino psychological comedy-drama film written and directed by Martika Ramirez Escobar, in her directorial debut. The film stars Sheila Francisco as a retired screenwriter who, after falling into a coma, finds herself the action hero of her unfinished screenplay. The supporting cast includes Bong Cabrera, Rocky Salumbides, and Anthony Falcon. The film is an homage to Filipino action films of the 1970s and '80s.[4]

Leonor Will Never Die premiered at the World Cinema Dramatic Competition of the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, the first Filipino film to compete since The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros in 2006. The film received positive reviews, with Escobar being awarded the Special Jury Prize for Innovative Spirit.[5][6] The film also premiered in the Philippines, opening the 18th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival at the Cultural Center of the Philippines on August 5, 2022, marking the festival's return to on-site screening following the earlier challenges to hold the festival in its original form due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7][8] The film was acquired by Music Box Films for North American distribution in February 2022, and was released across North America in a limited release starting on November 25, 2022.

  1. ^ "Sundance 2022 Deals: 'Leonor Will Never Die' is the Latest Festival Acquisition — Complete List". February 15, 2022.
  2. ^ "Leonor Will Never Die (2022)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  3. ^ "Leonor Will Never Die (2022)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Two Filipino films take home Sundance 2022 awards". Rappler. January 29, 2022. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  6. ^ Iglesias, Iza (January 29, 2022). "PH film 'Leonor Will Never Die' wins Special Jury Prize at 2022 Sundance Film Fest". The Manila Times. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  7. ^ "'Leonor Will Never Die' to open Cinemalaya Film Festival 2022". Rappler. July 29, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  8. ^ Pagulong, Charmie Joy. "Sundance winner Leonor Will Never Die sets Cinemalaya 18 in motion". The Philippine Star. Retrieved August 14, 2022.