A GRIEVING widow, a stray dog, and the idea that the dead husband has come back in the body of the dog is the big premise of Rachael Moriarty and Peter Murphy’s “Róise & Frank”, the Irish film that opened Cine Europa 26 at the FDCP Cinematheque Centre Iloilo on Solis Street last week.
Introduced by Brian McCrohan, Chargé d’affaires at the Embassy of Ireland in Manila, who spoke of his visit to Iloilo as a firsthand education and experience of the people and the city, and who even took a “very Filipino” selfie with the audience that packed the screening room, the film is only one of the 19 shown for free at the Cinematheque from July 7 to 15.
During the reception night program, Ambassador Luc Véron of the European Union delegation to the Philippines hailed Cine Europa as a celebration of cultural diversity, and acknowledged the films as a point of collaboration, cooperation, and understanding among peoples and nations as most of these were co-productions between two or more countries.
Despite establishing diplomatic relations with the Philippines since 1984, Ireland opened an embassy in Manila only in 2021. And according to McCrohan, Ireland is rather proud to sponsor the opening night of Cine Europa 26 in Iloilo City./PN
