Home / Arts and Entertainment / Lav Diaz Unveils Spanish Colonial Drama, New Projects
Lav Diaz Unveils Spanish Colonial Drama, New Projects
5 Sep
Summary
- Diaz is developing films on false prophets and Rizal's 'Noli Me Tangere'.
- His new film revisits late 16th-century Spanish colonial rule.
- The film highlights forced labor used to build colonial churches.
Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz is currently developing ambitious new projects, including a film centered on false ideologies and prophets, and a screen adaptation of José Rizal's influential novel, "Noli Me Tangere." The latter is credited with inspiring the 1896 Philippine Revolution.
Diaz's latest film, "Let Us Through, Dear Ancestors" (Makikiraan Po), is set to premiere in the Venice Open section. This historical drama delves into the late 16th and early 17th centuries, when Spanish forces consolidated their colonial rule in the Philippines.
The film confronts the brutal reality of forced labor, detailing how Malay men were compelled to work unpaid for 40 days annually on various infrastructure projects, including churches. Diaz asserts these celebrated structures are steeped in the blood, sweat, and deaths of ancestors, with historical accounts suggesting 30% of the male population died under this system.
He extends his critique to the role of religion, calling it a potentially violent form of subjugation. Diaz draws parallels to historical events like the Crusades and the Holocaust, as well as ongoing global conflicts, to illustrate faith's entanglement with violence.
Diaz shot "Let Us Through, Dear Ancestors" in black and white in Sampaloc, Quezon Province. He credits the location with aiding his recovery from serious health issues. The film features filmmaker Isabel Sandoval as a Babaylan, a healer representing a bridge to pre-Hispanic heritage.
Despite its 151-minute runtime, shorter than many of Diaz's previous works, his filmmaking approach remains unchanged, prioritizing the demands of the material and the pursuit of truth in cinema.
