First Light

A nun’s suspicion of foul play in her community sparks a crisis of faith in this transcendent debut from Filipino-Australian James J. Robinson.

Sister Yolanda (Ruby Ruiz) leads a peaceful, pious life in a mountainous convent in northern Luzon. Lending her services to the local hospital, she acts as a spiritual balm to the sick and dying. Reading a young man his last rites following a tragic construction accident, she begins to suspect foul play. Uncovering a trail of corruption that implicates both the community’s wealthy elite as well as her treasured Church, Sister Yolanda is left in a challenging moral quandary, calling her to act.

Winning over audiences at MIFF (Best Australian Director Award) and Rotterdam, and shot in masterful, painterly tableaux that showcase Robinson’s background in photography, First Light announces the arrival of an exciting new directorial talent.