Iti Mapukpukaw team ‘honored, overwhelmed’ after animated film named PHL’s Oscars entry

No Filipino film has ever been nominated at the Oscars, but hopes remain as Iti Mapukpukaw (The Missing) makes history as the first animated entry the Philippines is submitting to the 96th Academy Awards.

Fresh from being Best Film winner and top-grosser at the 2023 edition of the Cinemalaya Film Festival, Iti Mapukpukaw’s selection was announced by the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) during the Film Industry Month closing ceremony held by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) on Friday night.

Starring Carlo Aquino, Gio Gahol and first Filipino Golden Globe nominee Dolly de Leon, the film tackles trauma and healing as it tells the story of a mouthless animator who seemingly lives a normal life until the death of an uncle and the arrival of a familiar alien.

The director and Project 8 Projects producers said that they feel honored and overwhelmed but ready to take on the challenges ahead for the film to score a nomination in the Best International Feature category. The FDCP has granted them P1 million to help in the film’s upcoming marketing campaign.

“We didn’t expect to be considered for the Oscars. We are really honored, surprised and happy,” said director Carl Joseph Papa.

“Sabay na happy, excited, afraid, overwhelmed, nervous, sabay-sabay na emotions but rest assured we won’t ever waste this opportunity. And we will do our very best to hopefully secure a nomination,” also said Project 8 Projects founder-producer Dan Villegas.

The team also expressed gratitude for the FDCP aid because “we need all the help that we could get,” Villegas said.

“I think it’s really meeting and working with the right people,” he further said about their next steps. “Ito walang bola, papunta talaga kami ng meeting after nito. Mag-aalign lang kami. May mga ideas na kami, kumbaga shortlist ng mga tao na pwede katukin to ask for help and hopefully, they say yes.”

Project 8 Projects co-founder/producer and director Antoinette Jadaone also credited the help of GMA Public Affairs in making the film possible through funding assistance. “Nung umpisa palang, nung pini-pitch palang namin, nandun na sila. Thank you GMA for your support and for supporting Philippine