Amigo's Official Movie Poster
QUEZON CITY, Philippines – On Monday, June 20, Rizal Day, a film by
John Sayles that tells the forgotten tale of Filipino-American war in the 1900s and had its press conference at
Dolcelatte Café along Quezon Avenue, 12noon.
Present in the affair were two of the cast members, Filipino seasoned actors, Joel Torre and Bembol Roco who play Rafael Dacanay and Policarpio, respectively with the producer Maggie Renzi and director John Sayles.
Filipino actors all: Joel Torre as Rafael Dacanay, Rio Locsin as Corazon Dacanay, John Arcilla as Nenong and Irma Adlawan as Josefa.
is a historical drama set during the decline of the Spanish colonization, the entry of the Americans into the Philippines and the Katipunan uprising. According to Sayles, the Philippine-American war has been ignored or forgotten by both sides of the conflict, it is history that needs to be recaptured in the public imagination. It deals with one of the most common but least-examined aspects of human experience—the story of the people caught in between.
John Sayles is an independent film director, screenwriter and a book author.
When asked if he is not afraid of any backlash from the Americans because of how he portrayed the Americans in his 1.6-million produced independent film, he spoke with honesty as a writer and as a human being, “Race is an illusion. Culture is real. It is my responsibility as a writer to pay attention to everything I encounter.”
Amigo’s story maybe fictionalized, but it is based on research and the truths Sayles read from diaries of US soldiers who volunteered to ‘free the Cuban people from oppression’ was caught in a situation as they fought against Filipinos to deny freedom, a change of purpose that puzzled and dismayed more of them contrary to only a few.
The
Amigo cast include: Garret Dillahunt (Lt. Compton), Chris Cooper (Col. Hardware), DJ Qualls (Zeke Whatley), Rio Locsin (Corazon), Ronnie Lazaro (Simon), Yul Vázquez (Padre Hidalgo), Jemi Paretas (Zúñiga), Dane DeHaan (Gil), Irma Adlawan (Josefa), John Arcilla (Nenong), Pen Medina (Albay), Spanky Manikan (Tuba Joe), and Bodjie Pascua (Sixto).
Chris Cooper (in the middle) as Col. Hardacre with Garret Dillahunt (in blue uniform and wearing a hat) as Lt. Compton. is being released through Star Cinema and distributed by Origin8 Media, the film production and marketing outfit founded by the creators of Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros and Kimmy Dora. It will open on July 6 in local theaters and premieres on June 28 at Ayala TriNoma coinciding with it is the opening of an exhibit of costumes and Amigo memorabilia.
