DotA: Nakakabaliw slated for Cannes Film Festival

DotA: Nakakabaliw's avant-garde poster

Local film DotA: Nakakabaliw has been slated for this year's Cannes Film Festival that will be held this May.

The film's production team announced April 19 that the local indie film was selected for the Prize Un Certain Regard, a section of Cannes Film Festival that runs parallel with the Palme d'Or award.

This section recognizes young talent and encourages avant-garde, original and daring films, granting them a prize of €30,000 (almost Php 2 million).

DotA: Nakakabaliw is currently showing in Metro Manila theaters right now starring Kapuso teen star Joyce Ching with James Matthew, Joana Elle and Jaypee Adalem and directed by Dyzal Damun.

The film's central plot focuses on teenagers getting hooked on tower defense role-playing game Defense of the Ancients more popularly known as DotA. The main conflict starts when these students cut classes and get into various sorts of trouble.

"I learned a lot. We all know indie films are made with modest budgets. It was a humbling experience." Ching said in an interview.

An official of the Cannes Film selection committee said that the film is currently the favorite among the 15 other movies competing for the Prize Un Certain Regard.

"We think that DotA: Nakakabaliw is one of the most avant-garde films we've screened here at Cannes. The film style, the acting, even that poster was very enchanteur. Filipinos are indeed very creative filmmakers and we welcome new talents very much," said the official in French.

Local DotA fans also gave their approval for the selection despite confusion of what Cannes is.

"Ano po yung Cannes? Lata?" ("What is Cannes? Tin can?") a Metro Manila high school student said.

"G*go. Tang*na mo. Plural yung Cannes. May -es. Ibig sabihin 'Maraming lata'"("*expletive* *expletive* Cannes is plural. It has -es. It means 'cans'") said his friend.

Meanwhile, Malacanang issued a statement saying that it is ordering the Department of Education that the film will be required viewing for high school students all over the Philippines.

Check out the film's trailer here:

This news article is a satire.