1 week Ago
One auteur who remains humble and low-key is Lav Diaz. But the greatness of the man goes beyond his choice of his simple daily get-up—black bucket hat, black long-sleeved shirt, and denims. He riddles his answers with the polite "po" and "opo" and prefers to join the simple folks for drinks to a high-profile gala.
Revered and well-respected in the international film scene, we have witnessed how cinephiles, film aficionados, and world-renowned industry people have flocked to this man for a simple chat, a piece of advice, or seemingly just to be around the air he breathes. And Lav, with his charismatic smile, graciously and without complaint, mingles. The 66-year-old filmmaker from Columbio, Cotabato whose works have won the hearts of audiences in the international festival scenes from Venice to Locarno, from Hong Kong to Berlin, will be back at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival this May with his historic film, "Magellan" (Magalhaes), starring no less than Gael Garcia Bernal.
Diaz, who was in Cannes in 2013 with his critically acclaimed "Norte, the End of History" which was entered into the Un Certain Regard section, will have his "Magellan" film debut in the Cannes Premiere section of the 78th Cannes Film Festival which will be held from May 13 to May 24. Known for his slow movement cinema and for making some of the longest narrative feature films, Diaz has edited "Magellan" for Cannes to one of his shortest films - almost three hours. Congratulations Lav, on the selection of "Magellan" for its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival! Why is this selection very significant for you? Salamat po.
It's cool to be back in Cannes. It's great to walk there, with a humidity akin to the Philippines. The best part of staying at the French Riviera is communing with Filipino workers.
There are plenty of them there and they are very generous, they give you free space to stay and they give you the best wine and food. Can you please tell us why you chose this project? I didn't choose it really. It came to me naturally like a cosmic mana.
Albert Serra said to me one day in Barcelona, "Hey, Lav, I can help find money for your future work; as long as it's connected with Spain." Then, I received an email from Joaquim Sapinho saying: "I'm a big fan of your work, can we work on something that will connect Portugal and the Philippines?" It's Magellan, of course. What is the gist of this story? That some men are great because they commit suicide with a vision.
He was recommended. And he really is Magellan; cool, stubborn, intelligent, mysterious, distant, uncompromising, humble and imperial. How was it working with Gael on this project? I learned a lot about issues of humility, humanity and the darkness of man.
What cities in the Philippines did you film and why did you choose these places? We shot the film in the majestic towns of Sampaloc and Mauban, in Quezon Province, Philippines, and in the southern part of Portugal, in Cadiz, Spain. Who are the other actors involved in this movie and what roles are they playing? There shall be revelations in the film, things that I realized as I did seven years of research and investigation; one that will shock people is the issue of the death of Magellan. The supposed killer, Lapulapu, who is now hailed as a national hero in the Philippines, as declared by the notorious former President Rodrigo Duterte, is just a myth.
You are also in the movie "The Sacrifice" as an actor. Can you please tell us more about it and why you got involved in this project? They asked me to play a good role. Of course, I love acting.
And I'm grateful to be involved with young filmmakers. Their energy is inspiring. What other projects are you busy with? I'm working on the long version of Magellan; and finishing the editing of Kawalan, one of the films that we shot during the pandemic and produced by Tanghalang Pilipino.
—MGP, GMA Integrated News.
