THE Film Academy of the Philippines has chosen "Birdshot" to be the country's official entry to the prestigious Academy Awards.
Written and directed by Mikhail Red, the film will compete in the Best Foreign Language Film category of the Oscars.
"The eagle goes for the gold! What an honor to represent the Philippines! Super proud of the dream team behind BIRDSHOT!" wrote Red in a Facebook post on Tuesday, September 26.
"Birdshot" received positive reviews from critics and moviegoers from here and abroad. It won Best Picture at the 29th Tokyo International Film Festival and the winner of the CJ Entertainment Awards in the Asian Project Market at the Busan International Film Festival in 2015.
The film is a coming-of-age thriller that tells the story of a young farm girl who wandered off into a Philippine forest reserve. She then mistakenly shoots and kills a critically endangered and protected Philippine Eagle.
Produced by Pamela Reyes with TBA Productions and Globe Studios, "Birdshot" is topbilled by Mary Joy Apostol, Arnold Reyes, Ku Aquino and seasoned actor John Arcilla.
The 90th Academy Awards will take place on March 4, 2018 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. (SunStar Philippines)