For the ‘On the Job: The Missing 8’ producer, simply watching a movie at the cinema was a revelation in and of itself, more so at the Venice Film Festival where their film received a 5-minute standing ovation
“I thought no one would watch [On The Job: The Missing 8],” Quark Henares said with a wry laugh over a phone call. “It was a three-hour and 20-minute movie! Even I, as a film practitioner, would have a hard time sitting through something that long.”
His worries were quickly quelled at the sight of a standing ovation when the movie premiered at the 78th Venice International Film Festival held earlier this month. It was the only Asian film in the festival’s 2021 roster, so to be in the line-up at all was an honour beyond their imagination—especially for a project that was so daring.