Magellan (film)
| Magellan | |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | Magalhães |
| Directed by | Lav Diaz |
| Written by | Lav Diaz |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography |
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| Edited by |
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| Music by | Marc Verdaguer |
Production companies |
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Release dates | |
Running time | 156 minutes[1] |
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Magellan (Portuguese: Magalhães) is a 2025 internationally co-produced epic historical drama film written and directed by Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz, in his first film in Portuguese and Spanish.[3] It stars Gael García Bernal as Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, and depicts his role in the Portuguese and Spanish campaigns in Southeast Asia in the early 16th century.[4]
The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Premiere section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on 18 May 2025.
Cast
- Gael García Bernal as Ferdinand Magellan
- Roger Alan Koza as Afonso de Albuquerque[5]
- Ângela Ramos as Beatriz
- Dario Yazbek Bernal as Duarte Barbosa
- Amado Arjay Babon as Enrique
- Ronnie Lazaro as Raja Humabon
- Bong Cabrera as Raja Colambu
- Hazel Orencio as Juana
- Rafael Morais as Joao Carvalho
Production
First announced in 2019 as "Beatriz, The Wife", Diaz was first inspired by the life of Magellan's wife Beatriz Barbosa de Magallanes, whom he married just two years before he set off for the Magellan expedition.[6] The film was produced by Portuguese studio Rosa Filmes with Andergraun Films from Spain, Black Cap Pictures from the Philippines, and Volos Films from Taiwan.[7]
During post-production the footage was divided in two feature films, with Magellan being the first, while an untitled second film will have a 9-hour cut and will feature Beatrice version of the story.[4]
Filming took place in Sampaloc and Mauban towns in Quezon, Philippines in the last quarter of 2024, followed by filming in southern Portugal and Cádiz, Spain. Production wrapped in December.[4][8] The replica of the Victoria which was in Cádiz was also used as a filming set.[8] Arthur Tort, producer Albert Serra's regular collaborator, was the director of photography alongside Diaz regular cinematographer Larry Manda.
Diaz asserts that the film is "closer to the truth" and that Lapulapu is more of a "myth".[9] He claims Lapulapu is a creation by Rajah Humabon to discourage Magellan's crew in converting more people into Christianity and remarked that "No one ever saw Lapulapu". Diaz anticipates that he will be accused of revisionism for the portrayal of events in the film.[10]
Release
Magellan had its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on 18 May 2025.[8][11] It was screened in the Cannes Premiere section, while the second film is still in post-production.[12]
Prior to its world premiere, Nour Films acquired the distribution rights of the film in France.[13] The North American distribution rights were acquired by Janus Films, announced after the festival.[14][15] In the Philippines, Ten17P holds the distribution rights of the film in the country.[16]
The film is scheduled for its Australian premiere at the 2025 Sydney Film Festival.[17]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 10 critics' reviews are positive.[18]
See also
- Lapu-Lapu, a 2002 Filipino historical film about the titular datu whose men Magellan fought in the Battle of Mactan
- 1521, a 2023 Filipino-American film about the encounter between Magellan's crew and Philippine natives
- Kidlat Tahimik, a Filipino filmmaker who often made films that meditate on Magellan's arrival in the Philippines[19][20][21][22]
References
- ^ "MAGALHÃES (MAGELLAN)". Cannes Film Festival. 8 May 2025.
- ^ "Magellan". Andergraun Films. 8 May 2025.
- ^ Rithdee, Kong (13 May 2025). "Cannes 2025: What's on our watch list". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
This is Diaz's first film in Portuguese and Spanish, but the subject of Filipino history and his country's fraught, caustic past has always been in the master's resume.
- ^ a b c Goodfellow, Melanie (6 April 2025). "Lav Diaz Hints At Cannes Debut For Ferdinand Magellan Film With Gael García Bernal; Reveals Near-Death Experience: "It Became A Personal Journey To Understanding Immortality"". Deadline. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
- ^ "Roger Koza, de crítico a actor: cómo llegó a filmar con Gael García Bernal en la selva filipina | Cine y series". La Voz del Interior (in Spanish). 19 December 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
- ^ Dalton, Ben (6 April 2025). "Lav Diaz prepares Alexandre Dumas adaptation; hopes to launch 'Magellan' at Cannes". Screen. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
- ^ Dalton, Ben. "Lav Diaz prepares Alexandre Dumas adaptation; hopes to launch 'Magellan' at Cannes". Screen. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
- ^ a b c Payo, Jasmine (24 April 2025). "Lav Diaz on Cannes-bound 'Magellan,' Gael Garcia Bernal, and how he 'almost died'". Rappler. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
- ^ Cruz, Marinel (28 April 2025). "Lav Diaz aims to spark debate at Cannes with 'Magellan'". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
- ^ "Was Lapulapu a figment of the imagination?". Daily Tribune. Agence France-Presse. 21 May 2025. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
- ^ "The Screenings Guide of the 78th Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. 8 May 2025. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
- ^ Purnell, Kristofer. "Lav Diaz, Gael Garcia Bernal's 'Magellan' film getting Cannes premiere". Philstar.com. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
- ^ Barraclough, Leo (9 May 2025). "Nour Films Takes French Rights to Lav Diaz's 'Magellan' Ahead of Cannes Premiere (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (3 June 2025). "Gael Garcia Bernal's 'Magellan' Goes to Janus Films". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (3 June 2025). "Janus Films Acquires Lav Diaz Drama 'Magellan' Starring Gael García Bernal". Deadline. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
- ^ Tomada, Nathalie. "A homecoming IS in the works for 'Magellan' after Cannes". Philstar.com. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ Downs, Sarah (2 June 2025). "Sydney Film Festival Adds Nine New Titles to 2025 Lineup". Variety Australia. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
- ^ "Magellan | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
- ^ Small, Christopher (16 April 2019). ""That's Thirty Years of Footage I've Accumulated": Kidlat Tahimik on BalikBayan #1: Memories of Overdevelopment and His Pioneering Career in the Philippines". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
- ^ "BalikBayan #1: Memories of Overdevelopment Redux VI. 1979– 2017. Directed by Kidlat Tahimik". MoMA. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
- ^ Bracamonte, Earl D.C. (10 April 2023). "National Artist Kidlat Tahimik finally finishes film after 45 years". Philstar.com. Philstar Global Corp. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
- ^ "Celebrating the Year 2021, Today". dafilms.com. Doc Alliance Films. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
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