Rainbow’s Sunset – Joel Lamangan- 112’ (2018)
March 1 – 3pm – Room 2
A revered former senator temporarily leaves his wife of six decades to take care of his gay best friend, who is dying of cancer. Notwithstanding their mother’s blessings, his three children are scandalized. The old man defies their collective protest and declares that he loves his friend – godfather to all three both in baptism and matrimony – the same way that he loves his wife.
Director Joel Lamangan and I developed the concept for this film on our way to Oporto in February 2018. We were on the same flight with actor Tony Mabesa and I suggested we should make a film with him in the lead. Tony passed away on October 4, 2019. Tony won a Best Actor award at the Houston International Film Festival.
Multi-awarded Filipino director Joel C. Lamangan studied film and theater at schools in the Philippines and abroad. He acted and directed for stage and television, then took screen roles, before opting for film direction, making his debut in 1991 with “Darna”. Among his notable films are “The Flor Contemplacion Story” (1995) which won the Golden Pyramid award in Cairo and “Hustisya” was shown in and competed in Warsaw and Nantes. “Rainbow Sunset” won the Special Jury Prize at the Houston International Film Festival.