UK sales outfit Studio Soho International, the sales arm of Film Soho, has boarded European sales of Seán Devlin’s Asog, with Los Angeles-based finance, production and sales outfit EST Studios representing rights in the rest of the world.
The film premiered in Tribeca, and will also play at BFI London Film Festival. It was part of this year’s Cannes Docs-in-Progress, and blends road movie with elements of documentary. A typhoon survivor, a newly jobless schoolteacher and non-binary Filipino comedian embark on a road trip to a drag pageant. Along the way they meet real Filipinos enduring the impacts of climate change on their homeland.
All the cast members in Asog are Filipinos who survived 2013’s highly destructive Super Typhoon Haiyan, which at the time was the strongest storm ever recorded at landfall. For nearly a decade Filipino-Canadian Devlin has been collaborating on the project with super typhoon survivors on his mother’s native island of Leyte, and described the project as a “visceral and deeply genuine crowd-pleaser”.
Asog is produced by Amanda Ernst and Seán Devlin with support from the Doc Society and executive producers Adam McKay, Alan Cumming, Joel Kim Booster, Matthew Krysko and Cecilia R. Mejia. Jaya leads the cast with Arnel Pablo and Ricky Gacho Jr. Devlin, Jaya and Pablo also penned the screenplay.
Devlin’s previous credits include 2018 documentary When The Storm Fades, that also explores the subject of the 2013 typhoon. He was a consultant producer on 2020’s Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.
“Through Seán’s background as a Juno-nominated comedian and Jaya’s 20-year history as a beloved local celebrity in the Philippines, Asog ingeniously combines humour and authenticity, resulting in a truly unique and impactful cinematic experience,” noted Irini Koulovasilopoulos, international sales manager at Studio Soho International.
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