DEATH OF NINTENDO

Immediately after the feature, enjoy a FREE bonus recording of the live Q&A with writer-producer Valerie Castillo Martinez, recorded on 10/30/20. 

* This film is available to view in California only.

Official Selection, 2020 Berlin International Film Festival

Get your butterfly clips and Reebok pumps ready. 8-bit wonders echo throughout this vibrant and colorful coming of age story from director Raya Martin (How to Disappear Completely, SDAFF ‘13). DEATH OF NINTENDO chronicles the crusades of Paolo, Mimaw, Kachi, and Gilligan as they navigate growing up during the 1990s in a post-Marcos Manila. The film is painted with the delightful nostalgia of an era that extends across the Pacific and into our hearts.

During one sizzling summer with the Mt. Pinatubo eruption imminent, competitive spirit and pop culture take hold and things start to heat up for this rag-tag group of friends. Fil-Am writer-producer Valerie Castillo Martinez takes inspiration from her Filipino childhood, not simply to indulge in innocent nostalgia, but to confront the terms of growing up in a global Philippines. Surely, there are also antics and tween trouble: crossing paths with first crushes (and heartbreak), American expat bullies, and even ghosts? But the specter of the United States casts an unshakeable spell, setting the stage for unique–and mischievous–journeys of self-discovery. 

–Carmela Prudencio

Co-Presented by House of the Philippines

Preceded By

A Childhood Story

Directed by Tianyi Lu

To honor the death of her grandfather, her family plans to cook braised rabbit, his favorite meal, but Tian has other plans for her new companion.