BONA
Special Features: New 4K Restoration
Middle class schoolgirl Bona (Nora Aunor) skips class to hang around the sets of bit actor Gardo (Philip Salvador). When her father attempts to beat some sense into her, Bona moves into Gardo’s shack in the slums, delighted to play house — only to find herself not the wife but the maid. Groundbreaking singer, actor and producer Nora Aunor worked with director Lino Brocka to subvert her stardom at the height of her fame. Brocka, following the success of MANILA IN THE CLAWS OF LIGHT (1975) and INSIANG (1976), took Aunor up on the challenge and set her against the familiar backdrop of Manila’s slums, yet steered clear of making poverty the sole focus of the film. Instead, BONA unfolds as a thrilling drama about blinding adoration and its stranglehold on both the lover and the beloved, set against the bustling industry of the second golden age of Filipino cinema. Restored from the original camera negatives and available for the first time in more than 40 years, BONA embarks on a new life in a stunning, miraculous 4K restoration. (Note adapted from Kani Releasing.) DIR Lino Brocka; SCR Cenen Ramones; PROD Nora Villamayor. Philippines, 1980, color, 88 min. In Filipino and Tagalog with English subtitles. NOT RATED
In 2023, Carlotta Films and Kani Releasing acquired the rights to the film from its producer and actor, National Artist of the Philippines Nora Aunor. BONA has been scanned, restored and color graded in 4K, from its original 35mm camera and sound negative reels, at Cité de Mémoire in Paris, France. The sound restoration was handled by L.E. Diapason.
In Memoriam: Nora Aunor (1953–2025)
Run Time: 88 Minutes
Opening Date: Friday, June 06, 2025
Genre: Drama