The newly restored 1984 political masterpiece “Sister Stella L” will make its international debut at the prestigious Il Cinema Ritrovato festival in Bologna, Italy, later this month.
Marking its 42nd anniversary, the film’s premiere joins a global lineup at the celebrated event dedicated to preserved cinematic classics.
Scheduled for screening on June 21 under its international title “Sangandaan,” the film underwent a 4K digital remastering. The project was made possible through a joint initiative by the Philippine Film Archive (PFA) and the L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory.
Leo Katigbak, representing the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), revealed that the path to reviving the film spanned over a decade. Initial discussions started in 2012 under the ABS-CBN “Sagip Pelikula” campaign but faced multiple roadblocks.
The initiative was resurrected in 2019 and finally concluded in early 2024 under the stewardship of the FDCP.
Katigbak noted that managing the film’s physical components required complex international coordination.
“The film reels which came from the [Philippine Information Agency], were brought to Paris where the restoration was scheduled to be carried out by Cite de Memoire,” he explained in an interview with ABS-CBN News.
“[Director] Mike de Leon had agreed to supervise the restoration but preferred that it be done in Ritrovata where several of his previous films had been restored. The prints were then shipped from Paris to Bologna,” Katigbak recalled.
He emphasized that the version premiering in Italy is a distinct cut of the film.
“Sangandaan” serves as “the director’s version where Mike funded the additional restoration for the deleted scenes which have been reinstated.”
This version restores content that was heavily cut by state censors during the original Philippine theatrical run under the Marcos Sr. administration.
Helmed by visionary director Mike de Leon and starring veteran actress and Batangas Governor Vilma Santos-Recto, the narrative draws inspiration from the real-life activism of Sr. Mary Rosario “Chayong” Battung.
The plot follows a Catholic nun who finds her political awakening within the labor movement, fighting alongside the urban poor against structural oppression.
While the original cut remains available online through the Regal Entertainment YouTube channel, the Italian festival will pay tribute to the filmmaker on June 23 with a dedicated panel discussion titled “In Memory of Mike de Leon,” which Katigbak will attend as a guest speaker.