Director James J. Robinson’s film First Light probes the nature of faith, corruption, and power as one nun unravels a conspiracy that’s darker than she could’ve ever imagined.
First Light, a new film by celebrated Filipino-Australian photographer James J. Robinson (whose work has been featured in publications such as The New York Times and Vogue Australia), premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) to sold-out tickets. The MIFF Premiere Fund–supported feature debut shares both a visual and thematic DNA with Ingmar Bergman’s Winter Light, as well as Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s Black Narcissus through its striking compositions and unflinching interrogation of faith.
“The impetus for writing First Light is quite layered,” shares Robinson in an exclusive interview with Lifestyle Asia. “On one hand, it has something to do with my relationship with the Catholic church, which is something that’s always evolving and moving between different places. It’s something that constantly gives me a drive, because it makes me consider the way religion can be co-opted by politics.”
He adds: “But you know, another major reason behind writing First Light was to connect myself with my motherland. Growing up in Australia like many second generation immigrants, there’s a disconnect between the way we’re raised and our ancestral culture. So to be able to make the movie meant I had to fly to the Philippines, involve myself in very deep research, learn as much Tagalog as possible, and just spend time in the mountains meeting new people. It was to learn and be funded by the Australian government and the Film Development Council of the Philippines, to be able to re-acquaint myself with the Philippines. So the film became a conduit for me to explore my relationship with religion and reconnect me with the culture of my ancestors.”
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About First Light
Shot within a lush mountain landscape in northern Luzon, First Light follows Sister Yolanda, a mild-mannered nun whose very beliefs are put into question when she witnesses a distressing series of events in a hospital room. What begins as a strange occurrence soon becomes an unraveling of a deeper, more sinister criminal conspiracy that’s inextricably linked to the power and corruption that surrounds the nun’s neglected centuries-old convent.
Sister Yolanda and her companions seek to uncover the truth—but the journey may be more arduous than they initially thought, with people in power seeking to silence them.
“My parents always told me: go where your faith grows. That gave me the space to question, explore, and find what that meant for me,” shares the film’s co-producer, Christelle Lou Dychangco, on its significance. “I’ve always have a lot of faith, blind faith, and that’s a trait that’s guided me as a producer. That’s why I aligned with First Light ‘s themes of life, death, morality and ultimately faith.”
The film stars none other than veteran Filipina actor Ruby Ruiz and industry legend Maricel Soriano, promising a slow-burn drama with compelling performances.
Photos courtesy of Christelle Dychangco.
