Magellan
Lav Diaz · 2025
Lav Diaz’s *Magellan* is a 156-minute Portuguese-language historical epic filmed in the Philippines, Portugal and Spain. It follows Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition not as triumph but as narrative construction, proposing that Datu Lapu-Lapu was a myth invented by Rajah Humabon to resist conversion and consolidate authority. Starring Gael García Bernal and Hazel Orencio, the film uses tableau vivant cinematography, minimal dialogue and rigorous historical research to interrogate how power shapes memory. It premiered at Cannes 2025 and was selected as the Philippines’ Oscar submission.