FROM A GRAPHIC novel to a stage musical to film and back.
And now, “Zsazsa Zaturnnah” is a Filipino animation and competes in the international category of the prestigious and the biggest genre film event in Asia, the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) in Bucheon City, South Korea.
“Zsazsa Zaturnnah” directed by Avid Liongoren vies for the highest award of the 30th BIFAN, Bucheon Choice.
According to BIFAN, international competition Bucheon Choice presents films that show innovative, experimental spirit with a unique vision and style. Three feature film awards, two short film awards and two AI film awards are selected by international jury, and Audience Awards are determined by audiences’ votes.
The other films in contention for the Bucheon Choice are Japan’s “Burn” and “Cursed Meme,” directed by Nagahisa Makoto and Yamamoto Kan, respectively; Ireland and United Arab Emirates (UAE)’s “Hokum” by Damian McCarthy; Australia’s |Leviticus” by Adrian Chiarella; Spain and USA’s “The Night (Gaua)” by Paul Urkuo Alijo: Finland, France, United Kingdom and Lithuania’s “Nightborn” by Hann Bergholm; Korea and Taiwan’s “Niko” by Julien Birhan Levy; USA’s “Obsession” by Curry Barker; France and Belgium’s “Species” by Marion Le Coroller and UK and Canada’s “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma” by Jane Schoenbrun.
This line-up was recently unveiled by Shin Chul, BIFAN Festival Director.
“Zsazsa Zaturnnah,” about a voluptuous heroine adapted from the Mars Ravelo’s Filipino superwoman Darna is written by Carlo Vergara and was originally titled “Ang Kagila-gilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran ni Zsazsa Zaturnnah” in a book form in 2002.
In the novel, Zsazsa Zaturnnah is the alter-ego of gay beautician Ada who transforms herself into a supernatural character by ingesting a spiky melon and shouting Zsazsa Zaturnah to fight the bad guys.
In 2006, it was staged by the Tanghalang Pilipino (TP), the resident theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines with a series of musical productions.
In the same year, it was translated into a feature film directed by Joel Lamangan with Zsa Zsa Padilla in the titular role with BB Gandanghari as Ada.
In 2020, Liongoren submitted the development of the animation to the 2020 It Project of the Network of Asian Fantastic Film (NAFF) of BIFF and was officially selected to compete among other submissions in the film market.
It enjoyed pitching sessions and business meetings represented by Avid with international film professionals including producers, investors, marketers, distributors, press and other stakeholders and eventually found a collaborator from France.
At the 2020 BIFAN, the animation was titled “Zsazsa Zaturnnah vs. the Amazonistas of Planet X.”
According to BIFAN, this year’s international competition boasts a strong lineup of genre films that have made waves on the global festival circuit. “Obsession,” which captivated North American genre fans following its premiere at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, is a psychological horror tracing how forbidden desire and obsession spiral into supernatural terror.
“Leviticus,” one of the most talked-about titles in the Midnight section at this year’s Sundance, explores the collision between faith and desire through a daring fusion of queer romance and horror by utilizing the language of Christian taboo and punishment.
Notably, the competition section will feature the domestic premieres of some of the standouts from 79th Cannes Film Festival. “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,” the opener of the Un Certain Regard this year, is a distinctive work that reinterprets the grammar of 1980s slasher cinema through a queer lens and meta-horror sensibility.
“Species,” a selection of the Cannes Midnight Screening, is a body horror film that delivers a powerful and fresh take on how the anxiety and rage of a younger generation driven by achievement and competition manifest as physical symptoms.
Also in the lineup, “The Night (Gaua)” channels Basque mythology and witchcraft legend from northern Spain, weaving together a female-driven narrative of destiny and queer sensibility.
Finnish film “Nightborn” is a psychological thriller combining folk and body horror to portray familial anxiety and fear intensified after childbirth. The film features a powerful performance by rising Finnish actress Seidi HAARLA alongside Rupert GRINT as a married couple.
Meanwhile, “Hokum,” the latest film from Damian MCCARTHY, whose previous feature Oddity, became a sensation at BIFAN. Set in a remote Irish hotel, this eerie folk horror seamlessly blends folklore with claustrophobic dread.
Among the Asian selections is “Burn,” a compelling portrait of anxious youth that generated significant buzz at this year’s Sundance Film Festival while Japanese horror “Cursed Meme” will make its world premiere at BIFAN.
Audiences can also look forward to “Zsazsa Zaturnnah,” an animated musical comedy, adapted from the cult comic that became a Philippine pop culture icon. The film delightfully fuses queer identity with a superhero narrative, following a mundane gay hairdresser who transforms into a female superhero through magical powers.
Another notable world premiere is “Niko,” a Korea-Taiwan co-production set in a uniquely reimagined future Seoul, which features a striking performance by Tiffany Young of Girls’ Generation.
“Zsazsa Zaturnnah” will also be screened at the International Animation Film Festival in Annecy, France.