PHL movie on Fil-Am war 'Amigo' opens in Washington

"Amigo," a Philippine movie on the Philippine-American war in the early 1900s, opened in Washington, D.C. last September 2, the Philippine Embassy in Washington reported. The embassy said the movie initially received positive reviews from prominent media outlets like The New York Times and Rolling Stone. "The New York Times says Amigo is 'entertaining and relevant,' NY Daily News rates Amigo, 'best in a decade,' and Rolling Stone announces, 'a cause for celebration,'" it said in a news release. It also noted at least two theaters in West End Cinema showed Amigo on September 2 and both theaters sold out. According to the Embassy, Amigo is also being played in Washington, DC, Virginia Beach, Las Vegas, Seattle, and Portland. The film will also be shown this month in Albuquerque, Dallas, Minneapolis, Chicago and Denver. At the 7 p.m. screening in Washington D.C. last Sept. 2, the movie's writer-director, Oscar-nominated John Sayles, engaged the audience in a "Q and A." Starring in the movie are Filipino actors Joel Torre, Rio Locsin, Ronnie Lazaro and Bembol Roco; and Hollywood actors Chris Cooper, Garret Dillahunt and Yul Vazquez. The movie was shot entirely in Bohol province in the Philippine's Central Visayas Region. Other Filipinos in the team included writer and journalist Pete Lacaba who did the translation and Lee Briones-Meily, cinematographer. The film’s post-production was also done in the Philippines. Loved working in PHL Earlier, Sayles and producer Maggie Renzi visited the Embassy of the Philippines and called on Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Cuisia Jr. During the call, Renzi and Sayles said they “loved working in Bohol" and they had “great actors and wonderful crew." Renzi said that in the Philippines, “in every other area, work is exemplary." Sayles added the Philippines has the infrastructure to make beautiful films, but many US producers are not aware of this. — LBG, GMA News