RP movie premieres at prestigious Spain filmfest

A Filipino-produced film on the Philippine-American War of 1898 premiered at a prestigious film festival in Spain this month. The Philippine Embassy in Madrid said the film "Amigo" premiered at the 58th San Sebastian Film Festival on September 23. "It was the only Filipino film featured in this year´s edition of Spain´s most prestigious film festival," the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday. Citing a report from the Philippine Embassy, the DFA said "Amigo" is a film directed and written by John Sayles, starring award-winning veteran actor Joel Torre. The film is set during the Philippine-American War of 1898. It deals with the interactions of the American garrison stationed in San Isidro and the members of the Filipino community in the area who were caught in the crossfire. "'Amigo' deals focuses on one of the most common but least-examined aspects of human experience - the story of the people caught in between," Sayles said. He added the film also tries to raise awareness about the Philippine-American War which has been ignored or forgotten by both sides of the conflict. "It is history that needs to be recaptured in the public imagination," he added. Philippine Honorary Consul in Bilbao Andoni de Irala and members of the Filipino community in the Basque area were present during the premiere. De Irala observed that the premiere was well-attended and the film was well-received by both the public and the film critics. –VVP, GMANews.TV