Leonor Will Never Die

Directed by Martika Ramirez Escobar

Leonor Reyes was once a major player in the Filipino film industry after creating a string of successful action films, but now her household struggles to pay the bills. When she reads an advertisement looking for screenplays, Leonor begins tinkering with an unfinished script about the quest of young, noble Ronwaldo, forced to avenge his brother’s murder at the hand of thugs. While her imagination provides some escape from reality, she goes all-in after an accident involving a television knocks her out, sends her into a coma, and transports her inside the incomplete movie. Now Leonor can play out her wildest dreams firsthand and discover the perfect ending to her story.

 
 

  • Sheila Francisco, Bong Cabrera, Rocky Salumbides, Anthony Falcon

  • Filipino and English / 2022 / 100’

    Leonor Will Never Die

  • FICTION - Drama

  • Director Martika Ramirez Escobar Screenwriter Martika Ramirez Escobar Producers Monster Jimenez, Mario Cornejo Cinematography Carlos Mauricio Production Designer Eero Francisco Assistant Director Mikee Dela Cruz Editor Lawrence Ang Sound Design Corinne De San Jose Music Alyana Cabral, Pan De Coco Line Producer Rajiv Idnani Colorist Timmy Torres Principal Cast Sheila Francisco, Bong Cabrera, Rocky Salumbides, Anthony Falcon Year 2022 Category Feature Country Philippines Languages Filipino and English Run time 100 min Company Arkeofilms

  • DCP | 1:1:85 | Colour | 5.1

  • Sundance Film Festival 2022
    World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Innovative Spirit

  • “Martika Ramirez Escobar’s Joyful, Emotional Film Explores The Power Of ‘80s Action Films (…) you can’t help but leave the viewing with a big smile on your face. In a film steeped in loss and grief, “Leonor Will Never Die,” as the title implies, is ultimately a beautiful, life-affirming celebration of the power of film and art to heal. Yes, even ‘80s action films. THE PLAYLIST

    ”wonderfully unclassifiable movie (…) the combination of family melodrama, pulpy violence and surreal comedy add up to the disarmingly tender portrait of an artist on the edge of the afterlife.” NEW YORK TIMES

    “Life inspires fiction when a comatose director steps into her own action screenplay in Martika Ramirez Escobar's playful debut feature.” VARIETY

    “ the film has a boldness that should mark Ramirez Escobar as a name to remember among young Philippine filmmakers who have an eye for both the mainstream and the arthouse.” FILMVERDICT

    ”The 13 Best Films From This Year’s Sundance Film Festival: It’s gleefully meta and so much fun, from a fresh new voice who we can thank for the first action-star lola (grandmother)” VOGUE

    “ It is a delightful debut feature that plays with its storytelling without sacrificing any of its emotion. Even when it feels like it’s running out of steam, Leonor Will Never Die remains endearing while celebrating the support systems that keep passion and creativity alive.” TILT

    ”From its opening homage to cheesy B-action flicks of the 1980s, it’s clear you’re in for a good time with Martika Ramirez Escobar’s breezy fantasy Leonor Will Never Die.” ROGER EBERT

    ”Packed with self-reflexive humor and a deep reverence for the art of filmmaking, “Leonor Will Never Die” establishes writer/director Martika Ramirez Escobar as an artist with a singular voice and bright future in halls of weird cinema.” ROGER EBERT

    ”Leonor Will Never Die fascinates the audience from its opening minutes. (…) The action drama wastes no time developing the characters and does not shy from adding surreal touches to the narrative.” FILM THREAT

    ”Leonor Will Never Die is the sort of directorial debut that immediately causes you to imagine what a director might accomplish next. Sitting here, writing this review, I cannot help but envision the surreal and passionate wonders Ramirez Escobar will craft next. But, for now, I will cherish every frame of Leonor Will Never Die until the next project comes our way.” GEEK VIBES NATION

    “LEONOR a surreal and bittersweet look at life and death through a screenwriter’s teleportation into one of her own B-grade action scripts.” PASTE

    “Overall LEONOR (…) provides a heartwarming and loopy experience; propelled by strong cine-literate visuals, a fun nostalgic premise and a fantastic performance by Sheila Francisco.” THE AU REVIEW

    “Leading lady, Sheila Francisco is an absolute joy to watch and her energetic narration/script reading is a blast. (…) The recreations of 80s action films are astounding from the perfectly hokey score to the fight sequences.” REEL NEWS DAILY

    “the film, written and directed by Martika Ramirez Escobar, is a delightful surprise; it’s inventive and original, with flourishes of magical realism—including scenes that place Leonor (a wonderful Sheila Francisco) in the center of her own cheesy ’80s action flicks. Escobar always keeps one eye on the story’s heart, that of Leonor’s deep bond with her children. The ending, which I won’t spoil, had me in tears of laughter and sadness alike.” THE ATLANTIC

    ”Escobar brings back the spirit of action movies to the big screen in her tremendously funny representation of a simple storyline that the industry has been recycling for a very long time before it got tired of it.” ASIAN MOVIE PULSE

    ”Leonor Will Never Die is a must-watch film and a real cinematic experience. Director Martika Ramirez Escobar lets her passion show in her first feature, and bold choice after bold choice make for a truly wild and fun ride in this lovely weird film.” WHEREVER I LOOK

    ”Leonor Will Never Die is heartwarming, wholly entertaining, thrilling, and often surprising.” WHEN IT WAS COOL

    “let me be explicit: Leonor Will Never Die is one of the most unique films of not only Sundance but of the decade so far.” FANTASTIC FILM FANS

    “Something Makes us Feel Like We can be Saved When Action Stars are Elected as Our Leaders” FILMMAKER

    ”Martika Ramirez Escobar fills her film with loads of love and an idea that we are the creators of our own story and we might just have a little more say in the outcome than we often are led to believe.” TWOOHSIX

    ”The U.S. audience have had an awakening in recent years to media from Asia, most notably from Korea. However, as Sundance has shown, there’s a lot more to see from other countries like Vietnam and the Philippines. Both Maika and Leonor Will Never Die were highlights in speculative storytelling in film from Southeast Asia. It’s this Sundance attendee’s hope that these two films continue to gain traction as they make their rounds in the film festival circuit, while highly anticipating for more.” NERDS

    ”Despite all its wackiness, Leonor Will Never Die is much more than an excellent hybrid farce. This remarkable work explores existential themes that are both personal and professional, and how tightly the two intertwine. Rating 9/10” FILMBOOK

    ”It’s an action flick stirred in with a pinch of sci-fi and bathed in the warm nostalgia of an over-the-top melodrama; think Douglas Sirk spliced with Pedro Almodovar with a Kung Fu action movie cut in for good measure.” EXAMINER

    “To say that I was pleasantly surprised and energized by this unusual action film would be an understatement, one validated by the fact that the film received a Special Jury Award for Innovative Spirit at the end of the festival.” MSMAGAZINE

    ”Martika Ramirez Escobar’s “Leonor Will Never Die” combines art and imagination to craft exuberant cinematic chaos.” ELEMENTS OF MADNESS

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