Seán Devlin
ASOG
Philippines/Canada, 2023, 101 min
ASOG is a screwball tragicomedy starring a cast of real life Super Typhoon survivors. Jaya is a non-binary teacher whose career as a comedian hosting a late-night television show ended due to a climate disaster that devastated the Philippines. Picking up the pieces in their life, Jaya decides to travel across the country in hopes of winning a beauty pageant and the prize money that comes with it. But before they can leave, a chance encounter with Arnel, a student going the same way in search of family, complicates their solitary plans. As they travel seemingly countless miles together on foot, bike, and boat, the unlikely duo find themselves forever changed by each other and those they encounter on their journey.
Flipping the conventions of the road movie on its head, Asog is a stunning and profound ode to the power of solidarity amidst struggle. This one-of-a-kind film plays with the line between narrative and documentary to become something entirely new.
Seán Devlin
Seán’s debut feature WHEN THE STORM FADES earned him two jury prizes for Best Director and the Emerging Canadian Director prize (VIFF37). His films have been presented at Cannes Docs, Tribeca, Cairo and Sao Paulo International Film Festivals. He is an alumn of the Rotterdam Producers Lab. His debut album AIRPORTS. ANIMALS was nominated for the 2022 JUNO award for “Comedy Album of the Year”. He was a Consulting Producer on Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm.
