Triggered

Topakk

64th TIFF: Greek Premiere

After being discharged from the military due to post-traumatic stress disorder, Miguel finds himself back on the battlefield, this time on urban turf, as a drug dealer seeks his protection from a group of ruthless men hell-bent on killing him. Directed with nerve, zeal, and explosive passion by a creator who unequivocally approaches action cinema as a unique form of art with its own demands, the riveting Triggered serves as a first-rate gift for enthusiasts of this gunpowder-infused genre. With its delightful abundance of blood, gore, and gunfire, this instant cult midnight massacre from the Philippines comes to show excessively “proper” Hollywood how it should be done. Somewhere between John Carpenter’s classic Assault on Precinct 13, John Woo’s fiery gun ballets, and the meticulously choreographed mayhem of The Raid: Redemption, Triggered confidently carries on Asia’s tradition of no-holds-barred, guilt-free action.

Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.

Direction: Richard V. Somes

Script: Richard V. Somes, Jimmy Flores, Will Fredo

Cinematography: Louie Quirino

Editing: Jamie Dumancas

Sound: Albert Michael Idioma, Jannina Mikaela Minglanilla, Andrea Teresa T. Idioma

Music: Jose Antonio Buencamino

Actors: Arjo Atayde, Julia Montes, Sid Lucero, Enchong Dee, Kokoy de Santos

Production: Nathan Studios, Strawdogs Studio, FUSEE

Producers: Wilfredo C. Manalang, Michaelangelo Masangkay

Costumes: Vanjo Nobleza Dalmino

Production Design: Richard V. Somes

Format: DCP

Color: Color

Production Country: Philippines

Production Year: 2023

Duration: 113'

Contact: Raven Banner Entertainment

Richard V. Somes

Born in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental with a degree and training as a Seaman, Richard V. Somes moved to Manila to pursue his other passion – film. With natural skills using paint and tools, he started out as a production designer for both film and television. Somes, under the wing of internationally known and respected Filipino director Erik Matti (On The Job, Buy Bust), his works got noticed and awarded including his production design work in the classic action-fantasy movie Ang Panday (2009). With experience on the set, he ventured into directing both television and film. Matti says it best to describe Somes, “as a production designer and director for films, Richard Somes is a master of textures. If Pantera and Nine Inch Nails formed a band, the music that would come out of it would be like a Somes set design: gritty, theatrical, chaotic, metallic, in your face, and uber gaudy with a double wink at humor only he and the ones who know him can fully understand.”