| Quezon's Game | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Matthew Rosen |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | Raymond Bagatsing |
| Music by | Dean Rosen |
Production | |
| Distributed by | Star Cinema |
Release dates |
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Running time | 125 minutes |
| Country | Philippines |
| Languages |
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| Budget | ₱25 million ($500 thousand) |
Quezon's Game is a 2018 Philippine biographical drama film directed by Matthew Rosen. The film centers on Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon and his plan to shelter German and Austrian Jews in the Philippines who were fleeing Nazi Germany during the pre-World War II era.
In 1938, Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon, military adviser Dwight D. Eisenhower, along with other notable figures, set out to rescue Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany. Quezon simultaneously deals with a relapse of tuberculosis.[1][2]
Quezon's Game is a joint venture production of Star Cinema, iWant,[3] and Kinetek.[4] The film was directed by Matthew Rosen who is British-Jewish,[5] and the film had a production budget of US$500 thousand. The film produced in color runs for 125 minutes and is filmed in English, Spanish, and Tagalog. Production was finished by October 15, 2018.[2] Rosen spent three months on casting for the film alone.[5]
Lorena and Matthew Rosen were responsible for the film's original story idea while Janice Y. Perez and Dean Rosen wrote the screenplay. The film was produced to tell of a relatively unknown account of President Manuel L. Quezon rescuing Jewish refugees from the Holocaust and temporarily providing them shelter in the Philippines. One of the challenges the writers dealt with during Quezon's Game's research phase was the lack of Filipino historical manuscripts tackling the historical account. They referred to theses and dissertations made by Americans, and corresponded with the descendants of Alex and Herbert Frieder who played a major role in Quezon's plan.[6]
Rosen who is an immigrant who moved to the Philippines in the 1980s, became aware of President Quezon's plan after he learned that his Filipino wife knew the lyrics to the Jewish folk song "Hava Nagila" and local children could sing it, while not being aware of its Jewish origin. Rosen started inquiring at a synagogue and its museum in Manila in 2009 which led him to learning about President Quezon's plan for Jews fleeing Nazi Germany.[7]
Quezon's Game was released in various international film festivals prior to its theatrical release. It was released in Ottawa, Canada as part of the gala event of the 2018 Cinema World Festival as one of the winning films of the 2018 Autumn Selection.[3] It was also an entry in the IndieFEST Film in California, and the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival in Texas.[8]
As part of the film's promotion, a VIP screening was held on May 7, 2019 at the Power Plant MallinMakati where ABS-CBN also presented video interviews of Holocaust Survivors Margot Pins Kestenbaum and Max Weissler, who were both provided shelter in the Philippines by Manuel Quezon and currently reside in Israel.[8] The film's theatrical release in the Philippines was on May 29, 2019.[5]
There will be a documentary series in iWant called The Last Manilaners: A Quezon’s Game Documentary which tells about the Jews who went to the Philippines describing their experience of prosecution and conflict in Nazi Germany and found new life.[9]
The film received mixed reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 45% of 22 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review.[10]OnMetacritic, the film has a score of 36 out of 100 based on 6 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[11]
The film won at least 20 awards as an entry in various international film festivals.[8] In January 2019, Quezon's Game won 12 accolades at the Cinema World Fest Awards in Ottawa, Canada.[12][3]
| Year | Award-Giving Body | Category | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Cinema World Fest Awards[3] | Award of Merit for Drama Feature | Quezon's Game | Won | [13] |
| Award of Recognition for Directing | Matthew Rosen | Won | |||
| Award of Excellence for Actor | Raymond Bagatsing | Won | |||
| Award of Excellence for Actress | Rachel Alejandro | Won | |||
| Award of Excellence for Supporting Actor | Billy Ray Gallion | Won | |||
| Award of Excellence for Lighting | Matthew Rosen Leo Santos |
Won | |||
| Award of Excellence for Original Score | Dean Rosen | Won | |||
| Award of Excellence for Produced Screenplay | Janice Perez Dean Rosen |
Won | |||
| Award of Excellence for Set Design | Rowella Talusig Set Construction Group |
Won | |||
| Award of Excellence for Sound Design | Anglea Pereyra | Won | |||
| Award of Excellence for Costume Design | Rowella Talusig and Quezon's Game costume team | Won | |||
| Award of Merit for Color Treatment | Antonette Gozum | Won | |||
| 2019 | WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival[12] | Best Foreign Movie | Quezon's Game | Won | [14] |
| Gold Remi Awards for Best Art Design | Quezon's Game | Won | |||
| Gold Remi Awards for Best Producers | Carlo Katigbak Olivia Lamasan Linggit Tan-Marasigan Lorena Rosen |
Won | |||
| Gold Remi Awards for Best Director | Matthew Rosen | Won | |||
| 2020 | 7th Urduja Heritage Film Awards | Best Heritage Film | Quezon's Game | Won | [15] |
| Best Actor | Raymond Bagatsing | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Billy Ray Gallion | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Rachel Alejandro | Won | |||
| Best Actor in a Cameo Role | Audie Gemora | Won | |||
| Best Director | Matthew Rosen | Won | |||
| Best Cinematography | Matthew Rosen | Won | |||
| Best Production Design | Matthew Rosen | Won | |||
| Best Sceeenplay | Dean Rosen | Won |
