JERRY OLEA
Nag-world premiere ang pelikulang Magellan ni Lav Diaz sa Cannes Premiere section ng 2025 Cannes Film Festival noong Mayo 18, Linggo, sa France.
Ang buod ng pelikula: “In a pristine river in Malacca in the early 1500s, a child is wandering, frolicking and dreaming at the same time.
“Two slave traders kidnap him. This child wil be known as Enrique, the one who will be Ferdinand Magellan's slave.
“In a palace in Portugal, King Manuel I throws Ferdinand’s plan of reaching the Spice Islands using an alternate route.
“Both Enrique and Ferdinand dream of a journey. They fulfilled it.”
Read: Four-hour movie ni Lav Diaz, palabas na sa local theaters
Bida sa pelikula ang Mexican actor na si Gael Garcia Bernal bilang Portuguese explorer na si Ferdinand Magellan.
Nag-umpisa itong mag-shooting sa magkatabing bayan ng Sampaloc at Mauban sa lalawigan ng Quezon noong 2024, bago nag-shoot sa Spain at Portugal, at nagbalik sa Pilipinas.
Prinodyus ito nina Paul Soriano ng Black Cap Pictures (Philippines), Joaquim Sapinho ng Rosa Filmes (Portugal), at Albert Serra ng Andergraun Films (Spain).
PAUL SORIANO'S THIRD CANNES
Pangatlong pagkakataon nang mag-Cannes ni Direk Paul para sa world premiere ng Magellan.
First time ay noong 2019 para sa isang producers’ network.
Last year ay nag-Cannes din siya bilang producer ng four short films sa Director’s Fortnight.
“This year was for me the most memorable one,” sambit ni Direk Paul nang mainterbyu ng PEP Troika noong Mayo 26, Lunes, sa Ten17P office niya sa Don Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City.
“Because we were in Cannes with a movie, with a full-length feature film in the Cannes Premiere section, for Lav Diaz’s Magellan. Very memorable.
“Cannes takes their films very seriously. I mean, we all know the state of Philippine cinema now. But when you go to Cannes, cinema is king.
“I mean, people are lining up. Sold-out screenings. Every film is sold out. And we’re talking about world cinema.
“This is not mainstream, it’s world cinema. So lining up, fighting for tickets, you know. People lining up at 10:30, 11:00 P.M. to watch movies. Full house lahat, you know.
“So it was great to feel that. Because every filmmaker’s dream is to be around strong cinema audiences.
“I hope somehow that spirit can come back to the Philippines, that our cinemas can be lively not just during Christmas, you know, but year-round.”
Read: Paul Soriano declares "I’m living my best life now" despite criticisms
WORLD PREMIERE OF MAGELLAN
Kumusta ang world premiere ng Magellan?
“We did the whole thing — the red carpet, the photo call. So they really gave Lav the whole experience,” kuwento ni Direk Paul.
“We had a 10:30 screening for a two-hour forty-minute film. It was sold out. Full.
"So the standing ovation happened around almost 1:00 in the morning.”
Ayon sa mga lumabas na ulat, umabot ng limang minuto ang standing ovation ng audience para sa Magellan.
Wala pang tatlong oras ang running time ng Magellan, relatively short kumpara sa ibang pelikula ni Direk Lav.
“Relatively very slow. They say it’s the most accessible Lav Diaz film. Because when we premiered Phantosmia in Venice out of competition, that was four hours,” pakli ni Direk Paul.
Nagkaroon na ng market screenings para sa buyers ang pelikulang Magellan bago pa man ang Cannes premiere nito na open sa publiko.
Meron na agad bumili ng Magellan bago pa ang world premiere.
“We had a French distributor. And there’s a lot of inquiries now, other festivals really want the picture.
“It was well received. A lot of positive reviews. Very, very positive,” pagbabahagi ni Direk Paul.
Anu-ano ang karamihang komento sa pelikula?
“‘Hypnotic, surreal. It’s not your typical biopic.’ It’s really more of an internal struggle,” sabi ni Direk Paul.
“You get to experience the mental, the physical, how Magellan fought, how he maneuvered. So I think it was crucial in that regard.
“And of course, on top of Lav Diaz, on top of Magellan, you have Gael Garcia Bernal. The main role, who’s a rock star in the world.
“Superstar. In Cannes he was, you know, all over the place. You see how big a star Gael was in Cannes.”
GAEL GARCIA BERNAL
Kabilang sa performances ng Mexican actor and filmmaker na si Gael ay sa mga pelikulang Amores Perros (2000), Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001), El Crimen del Padre Amaro (2002), Bad Education (2004), The Motorcycle Diaries (2004), Babel (2006), The Science of Sleep (2006), Letters to Juliet (2010), Old (2021), at Cassandro (2023).
Read: Gael Garcia Bernal-starrer Mammoth to be screened in Cinemanila
NOEL FERRER
Very surreal para kay Direk Paul Soriano ang nakaraang experience niya sa Cannes filmfest.
Aniya, very dream-like na mapasama sa official selection ng Cannes ang pelikulang Magellan na isa siya sa mga producer.
“I’ve been in the business for 18 years. It’s the first time I had a film in Cannes in official selection,” pahayag ni Direk Paul.
“So the whole experience was very successful and we’re very proud already to begin with, but you had a standing ovation.
“I guess it’s affirming that you’re telling the right stories. The audiences are connecting to your material, especially with material like Lav where it’s very niche, you know.
“So for people to appreciate Lav’s work, to appreciate Gael. And together with my other producers, 'no — Joaquim Sapinho from Rosa Filmes and Albert Serra from Andergraun Films — so the three of us were very proud.
“I shook, hugged Lav. I shook and hugged Gael. I mean, kasi it was just a nice, spiritual moment.
“Anytime that… you know, it’s very challenging to make film. Extra challenging today.”
THE GENESIS OF MAGELLAN
Para kay Direk Paul, unknown journey ang pagpo-produce ng epic film na Magellan na nag-shooting sa Pilipinas, Portugal, at Spain, at in-edit sa France.
“It was really a worldwide collaboration. And then finally we ended in the French Riviera, in Cannes, showing the picture,” saad ni Direk Paul.
Sa talkback session matapos ang premiere screening ay inusisa kung paano ginawa ang pelikulang Magellan, ano ang genesis nito.
Paano ba napasama si Direk Paul bilang co-producer ng pelikula?
“Already it started si Rosa Filmes and Andergraun Films were already on board, they were looking for a Philippine production partner,” pagsisiwalat ni Direk Paul.
“Philippine producer. So I got wind of the project when I was producing Lav’s Phantosmia.
“As we were shooting Phantosmia, he told me about Magellan. And eventually he told me Gael Garcia Bernal was involved.
“So I said, ‘Yeah, I’d like to see how could I be a part of this.’
"Of course I talked to my counterparts in Portugal and Spain. Zoom. The time difference, we were making it work.
"And it all just kinda worked out."
Noong 2023 syinuting ni Direk Lav ang pelikulang Phantosmia na tinampukan nina Ronnie Lazaro, Janine Gutierrez, Paul Jake Paule, at Hazel Orencio.
Nag-premiere ang Phantosmia sa 81st Venice International Film Festival noong Setyembre 2024.
Read: Janine Gutierrez attends Venice International Film Festival
GORGY RULA
Pitong taon na pinagtrabahuhan ni Direk Lav Diaz ang pelikulang Magellan. Pabalik-balik siya noon sa Portugal para magsaliksik.
“I think the research was crucial for him,” sambit ni Direk Paul Soriano.
Naghintay ng tamang panahon si Direk Lav, hanggang maging handa na siyang umpisahan ang shooting.
Doon pumasok ang Rosa Filmes at Andergraun Films.
Noong Setyembre-Oktubre 2023 na sinusyuting ni Direk Lav ang Phantosmia ay nag-yes na raw sa Magellan project si Gael Garcia Bernal.
Nagsabi si Gael kung kailan siya available para mag-shooting — Oktubre hanggang Disyembre, 2024.
“So I came in. And then it took us about you know, nine to ten months of pre-prod, finalizing everything,” lahad ni Direk Paul.
“We built sets over in Sampaloc, Quezon. And then Gael came over in October. We shot the first leg here in the Philippines about three weeks, two to three weeks.
“And then we flew to Portugal, to Spain. And he flew back to the Philippines for another month of shooting.
“So we finished right before Christmas of 2024.”
Anong eksena ang kinunan nila sa Mauban, Quezon?
“We shot the landing in Mauban, which is just about 20 to 30 minutes away from Sampaloc. So we were just in that Quezon area,” pagtatapat ni Direk Paul.
“And of course people will ask, why Quezon? Why not Cebu per se? Lav found a very untouched, very virgin forest, beach.
“Na talagang parang it took us pa 45 minutes to get to the beach, hike. And of course we needed a location that looked very raw and untouched.
“So he found it there. And it all worked out naman. It all worked out very well."
Paano pumayag si Gael na magbida sa Magellan?
“Well, I believe he has a relationship with Albert Serra and Joaquim Sapinho na, you know, that community. I believe they worked together before,” pagsisiwalat ni Direk Paul.
“And I know Gael expressed the interest to work with Lav. I even remember Gael wrote a letter to Lav saying that he would love to be a part of a Lav film.
“At it just so happened that it was Magellan which, you know, fit him perfectly because he also speaks Portuguese.
“And the schedules aligned. And everything worked out. I’m also very happy for Lav.
“Kasi I think this is the first time that he’s getting to work with an actor of world cinema.”
Read: Lav Diaz: "Why do we still have guys like Duterte, Trump and all those motherf****rs?"
LAPU-LAPU AS A MYTH
Naka-focus ang kuwento ng pelikula kay Magellan sa pagiging tao nito, hindi sa pagiging explorer.
Ang isang pasabog ni Direk Lav sa pelikula, si Lapu-Lapu ay isa lamang myth.
“That was Lav’s choice. That was Lav’s perspective based on all the research that he has done,” pahayag ni Direk Paul.
“I believe that’s his interpretation. But it doesn’t mean it’s right. That’s Lav Diaz as a filmmaker, that’s his statement.
“And again, at the end of the day, we are at will to choose what we want to believe. That’s just his interpretation.
“But I think it’s a good one at that…
“The fact that he made a statement that Lapu-Lapu is a myth, it correlated with the fact that the people that were here in the Spice Island, the islands of gold, were actually very smart people.
“Which was technically us, the Filipinos. And it was almost like psychological warfare to create this myth, to instill fear into the foreign.
“That was kind of his attack. And if you also go further in our history, there’s also the story of the Hukbalahaps during the war that also used psychological warfare.
“Now that’s his interpretation, I get. You know, you can agree to disagree, but we also have to respect… especially the people who believe that Lapu-Lapu is real.
“We respect that. But if there are people that say that he’s a myth, or that he was created, I guess there also has to be, you know, discourse there also.
“But again, like I said, it was brilliant in its execution. And it’s very interesting, you know, to see. You know, it’s something that you just have to experience.
“And we really wanna bring Magellan home.”
Kailan uuwi ang pelikulang Magellan sa lupang hinirang?
“Definitely sometime this year,” sagot ni Direk Paul.