JERRY OLEA
Masalimuot ang proseso bago napili ang pelikulang Magellan ni Lav Diaz para isumite ng ating bansa sa kategoryang Best International Feature Film ng 98th Oscars o Academy Awards.
Maliban sa Magellan, ikinunsidera ng selection committee ang anim pang pelikula — Sunshine, Food Delivery, Hello, Love, Again, Green Bones, Some Nights I Feel Like Walking, at Song of the Fireflies — na pawang nag-theatrical release na.
Yung Magellan ay sa Setyembre 10, 2025, Miyerkules, ipalalabas sa local cinemas.
Read: Magellan, napiling official entry ng Pilipinas sa Oscars
THE SELECTION PROCESS
Pitong tao ang miyembro ng selection committee, na ang chairperson ay si Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) Chairman Jose Javier Reyes o Direk Joey.
Bago ang mismong announcement sa Magellan sa opening ceremony ng Philippine Film Industry Month (PFIM) 2025 noong Setyembre 1, Lunes, sa Shangri-La Plaza, EDSA cor. Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong City, ipinaliwanag ni Direk Joey ang proseso.
Aniya: “It’s very masalimuot mainly because the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences [AMPAS] of the U.S. which accredits the whole Oscars need to verify eveything.
“In other words, everything is vetted. From the members of the screening committee who will determine the national entry all the way down to the entries which will be assessed.
“So everything has to be first approved by AMPAS before the procedure can take place.
“That’s why there was a lot of delay, mainly because we were waiting for the reply of AMPAS kung naaprubahan yung screening committee, at kung naaprubahan yung mga features na ia-assess.”
Sa Araw ng Pagkakaisa ng Pelikulang Pilipino noong Agosto 9, 2025, sa Valencia Events Place, Quezon City, inihayag ni Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) Director General Paolo Villaluna na Agosto 20 ang target date nila para i-announce kung anong pelikula ang isa-submit ng bansa sa 98th Oscars o Academy Awards.
Pagpapatuloy ni Direk Joey: “There are two ways of getting the features to be assessed. One is, there was an open call for producers to submit, OK, what they feel, they think are worthy.
“OK, kunyari producer ka at inaakala mo na Oscar-worthy yung pelikula mo, puwede mong i-submit. But it’s not only that.
“It’s not enough that you have an aesthetically good movie. You must be able to mount a campaign, OK, because the competition is gonna be very tight the moment na mapili iyong pelikula mo.
“Secondly, we can invite. OK, we can also invite. The Film Academy can invite, not me, but then, the Film Academy.
“I’m with the FDCP. I’m only supporting the Film Academy but alam namin yung procedure na you can invite.
“Kasi, may ilang pelikula na inaakala namin na dapat i-assess pero hindi sinubmit ng mga producer.
“May ilang pelikula na sana sinubmit pero nakita namin yung priority ng producer kung ano ang isa-submit nila, OK. Kung ano doon ang kanilang ikakampanya.
“So finally, nagkaayusan na. And then last week, naupo na, OK. Masalimuot din yan.
“Kasi after we got the seven films na shortlisted na for the Academy, everybody must have watched all the films…
“After that, the seven members sat down. May deliberation doon sa seven, and then it was cut down to two. OK, dalawa.
“And then the final votation is with the top two films.
“I cannot reveal the names, OK, of the other six members of the jury because of reasons of confidentiality. They’re reputable names, OK.
“Two directors, two writers, an editor, in other words, they’re all credible names, OK. And I served as the chairman of the jury, and I do not vote, OK.
“I only conduct. As chairman of the jury, I do not vote unless there’s a tie. Then I had to vote.
“There was a tie, OK, for the top two. So, what do we consider? Yung ganda ng pelikula. Yung international appeal. At ikatlo, yung ability to campaign.
“The FDCP is giving PHP1M. That’s just a drop in the bucket when you come to think of it. Kasi, ang labanan dito, dollars!
“OK, I’ll give an example, ha? Yung Anora, ang production cost niya is $6M. Ang campaign niya, $20M.
“OK, so ganoon yung labanan. So you know, kailangan may kapasidad iyong producer, at merong marketing plan iyong producer, OK. That is so important.”
Ang Anora ang itinanghal na Best Picture sa Oscars 2025.
Read: Oscars 2025: Mikey Madison wins over Demi Moore for Best Actress
NOEL FERRER
Sa 97th Oscars ay 85 pelikula ang aprubado ng AMPAS na eligible para sa kategoryang Best International Feature.
Before that, sa 96th Oscars ay 88 movies ang eligible.
Doon sa 95th Oscars ay 93 bansa ang nagsumite ng pelikula.
“Ano ang chance mo na pansinin ng Academy yung pelikula mo?” pakli ni Direk Joey Reyes.
“Importante na umikot yan sa festivals. Importante na may recall yan sa festivals.
“Kasi we’ve come to realize, kahit gaano kaganda ang pelikula mo, pag walang ugong yung pelikula mo, hindi ka papanoorin.
“Makakapanood ka ba ng 50 movies? Hindi ka naman screening committee ng Metro Manila Film Fest, ano, na nauupo at ano.
“Dito, I mean, it’s difficult. So ang tagal. It was practically about three to five hours of deliberation, OK.
“And then finally, na-decide kung ano yun. Again, it is not only aesthetically good. It must have international appeal.
“And thirdly, it must have recall, OK, as far as the world cinema is concerned.
“And then lastly, it must have the capacity to come up with a campaign.”
Bilang chairman ng selection committee, mabilis ba o nahirapan siya na i-break ang tie sa top two contenders?
“Alam mo, ako ang nahirapan. Siguro, mga tatlumpong minuto na pag-iisip,” pagtatapat ni Direk Joey.
“Kasi, may No. 1, may No. 2. Pag pinili ko sa No. 2 yung isa, ano ang laban nun sa No. 1?
“Ano ba yung No. 1, may appeal ba, yung ganun ba, binabalanse mo. Ang hirap! Ang hirap.”
Eventually ay pinili ni Direk Joey ang Magellan, kung saan title role ang Mexican actor na si Gael Garcia Bernal.
Read: Gael Garcia Bernal, walang arte nang mag-shooting sa Quezon
GORGY RULA
Magkano ang kailangang pera para ikampanya sa 98th Oscars ang Magellan?
“You know approximately, noon, ha, ang projected expense, sabi ni Atty. Joji [Alonso] noong nagkampanya sila, about 2 to 2.5M dollars,” sey ni Direk Joey.
“Ang ano mo lang doon is pag napansin ka, yung distribution and then national pride.
“Pero I know that this government is fully supporting whatever is chosen.
“Teritoryo na yan ng FAP [Film Academy of the Philippines]. I don’t wanna talk about that. Si Paolo [Villaluna] ang magsasalita tungkol diyan.”
OSCARS SUBMISSION FROM OTHER COUNTRIES
Aminado si Direk Joey na napakahirap ng labanan sa Best International Feature ng Oscars.
“Ngayon pa lang, may mga favorites na! Punyeta, naglabasan na yung favorites!” bulalas ni Direk Joey.
“Lalo na si Venice, naglabasan. Because Venice is so rich. My God! Sabi ko, 'Paano ang labang ganito?'
“Andiyan na yung Sentimental Value [Norway] which I saw… Tapos iyong South Korea, yung No Other Choice. Bonggang-bongga rin!”
Kabilang pa sa mga isinumiteng pelikula para sa Best International Feature ng 98th Oscars ang Kokuho ng Japan, A Useful Ghost ng Thailand, Left-Handed Girl ng Taiwan, Peacock ng Austria, Young Mothers ng Belgium, Tarika ng Bulgaria, I’m Not Everything I Want To Be ng Czech Republic, at Sound of Falling ng Germany.
Andiyan din ang Sanatorium ng Ireland, The Love That Remains ng Iceland, Eagles of the Republic ng Sweden, Late Shift ng Switzerland, One of the Days When Hemme Dies ng Turkey, Palestine 36 ng Palestine, at All That’s Left Of You ng Jordan.
Isinumite na rin ang Pepe ng Dominican Republic, The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo ng Chile, The Things You Kill ng Canada, The Voice of Hind Rajab ng Tunisia, at Papa Buka ng Papua New Guinea.
Ayon sa Wikipedia, sa kasaysayan ng Oscars ay pinakamaraming tropeyo sa Best International Feature ang Italy na may 14, sumunod ang France na may 12.
Ang Japan ay may lima. Tig-apat ang Spain at Denmark.
Tigtatatlo ang Sweden, Germany, Soviet Union, at Netherlands.
Tigdadalawa ang Hungary, Argentina, Czechoslovakia, Switzerland, Austria, at Iran.
Tig-iisa ang Poland, Mexico, West Germany, Canada, Russia, Brazil, Algeria, Taiwan, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Chile, Bosnia and Herzegovina, South Africa, South Korea, at Ivory Coast.