Joseph Israel Laban is a journalist and an independent film-maker from Boac, Marinduque. His film, "Cuchera" that starred Maria Isabel Lopez, is about drug mules, couriers and their recruiters involved in drug transshipment operation between Manila and China and how they become deeply entrenched in the world of illegal drugs.The film was among the entries to the Cinemalaya Film Festival in Manila earlier this year. Last month, the said film, together with three other Filipino entries, went to Canada for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Next month "Cuchera" will see its European premiere in Sweden as a festival film for the Stockholm Film Festival (SFF) from November 8 - 20.
"The sex, the violence and the insertion of drugs into the character’s cavities never get too visually explicit. Laban effectively uses the sounds of disturbing screams and groans to complete the picture of misery. An exposé of people trying to survive Manila’s less gentle parts rather than a character study, this could be an eye-opener for many spectators." (SFF)
