In a fitting finale to its fifteenth illustrious year of bringing trailblazing films from fresh filmmakers, the Cinema One Originals Film Festival closed this year’s edition with the premiere of the highly-anticipated coming-of-age film by ace director, Mikhail Red, Dead Kids–known as the first original Filipino film to be licensed by global streaming powerhouse, Netflix.
No stranger to Netflix, Red is behind other acclaimed films now available on Netflix like the horror film Eerie and the awarded mystery-thriller Birdshot spearheaded the premiere of the genre-bending film together with his ensemble of young stars Sue Ramirez, Khalil Ramos, Markus Paterson, Vance Larena, Kelvin Miranda, Gabby Padilla, and Jan Silverio.
Speaking about the film, Red said, “I have always wanted to make a film about the complexities of my generation. I wanted to expose the entitlement and insecurities of a generation growing up in a country of extreme social disparity but cleverly package it as pop entertainment. For me Dead Kids is a story of young lives running wild yet cut short with their potentials unfulfilled. It is a crime story in the age of social media and a bleak vision of the Filipino youth’s psyche. It is a commentary on the youth’s views on masculinity, morality and vigilante justice, paralleled with today’s political climate. It is both a coming-of-age story, and a cautionary tale for the builders of our future.”
“It is overwhelming to know that through Netflix our film, ‘Dead Kids,’ will reach 158 million subscribers in 190 countries. It has always been my dream to get my message across the global market, and offer Filipino cinema to the world. Of course, this wouldn’t be possible without the dedication and talent of Filipino film workers and the faith of Globe Studios in this project,” the multi-awarded filmmaker added.
Dead Kids is set to be premiered on Netflix on its global release on December 1, 2019.
