MANILA, Philippines – No film submitted by the Philippines to the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film since the inception of the category in 1956 has earned a nomination. Not even one made the shortlist.
But Lav Diaz’s Magellan can change all that as it earned the nod as the Philippines’ entry to the 98th edition of the Oscars.
The film chronicles the final months of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who sailed to the Philippines in the 16th century under the Spanish crown.
While it is up for debate whether Magellan should have been the choice as it beat out six other shortlisted films by the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP), including Sunshine, Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea, Song Of The Fireflies, Some Nights I Feel Like Walking, Green Bones, and Hello, Love, Again, it is the strategic pick.
For one, Magellan is directed by the internationally renowned Diaz, whose works have netted prestigious awards. Mula Sa Kung Ano Ang Noon (2014) won the Golden Leopard at the Locarno International Film Festival, Hele Sa Hiwagang Hapis (2016) won the Alfred Bauer Prize at Berlin International Film Festival, and Ang Babaeng Humayo (2016) won the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival. His Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan was the Philippines’ Oscar entry in 2014.
Also, Magellan stars famed Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal as the titular character. He featured in Motorcyle Diaries (2004), Babel (2006), and Coco (2017), all of which bagged awards in the Oscars.
Those two factors work in favor of the film, but the people behind Magellan still have their work cut out for them as it sails into the highly competitive and mostly expensive waters of Oscars campaigning.
“It’s not enough that you have an aesthetically good movie, you must be able to mount a campaign because the competition is going to be very tight the moment your movie is chosen,” said veteran director Jose Javier Reyes, who heads the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP).
In its criteria for selection, the FAP included not only aesthetic and technical excellence, embodiment of Filipino values and culture, and international appeal, but also the ability of the producer to stage an extensive campaign for Academy shortlisting in December and nomination in February.
Because to make it big in the Oscars, it takes deep pockets, too.
For example, American independent studio Neon spent $18 million on the marketing, distribution, and awards campaign of Anora, which is three times the $6 million budget it took to make the movie, according to Variety.
That investment paid dividends as Anora made a splash in the Oscars this year, winning Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing. Sean Baker and Mikey Madison also scored the Best Director and Best Actress awards, respectively.
The FDCP will give P1 million to support Magellan, but even Reyes admitted that is merely a “drop in the bucket” as it goes up against equally formidable films which will enjoy sufficient financial backing.
Reyes said favorites have already emerged, including Norway’s Sentimental Value and South Korea’s No Other Choice.
“More than 50 or 60 films will be submitted. What are the chances that the Academy notices your film? It’s important that your film makes the rounds in festivals, that it has recall. We’ve come to realize that no matter how good your film is, when there’s no buzz around it, it won’t be watched,” said Reyes.
Those in charge of Magellan seem to be making the right moves.
Magellan will be distributed in North America by Janus Films, which has a track record of acquiring international films that have found Oscars success, among them Japan’s Drive My Car (2021) and Latvia’s Flow (2024).
Drive My Car won Best International Feature Film in 2021, while Flow got nominated for Best International Feature Film and won Best Animated Feature this year.
Magellan has also tapped Cinetic Marketing, the agency behind the campaigns of Drive My Car and critically acclaimed South Korean smash hit Parasite, which took home Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best International Feature Film, and Best Director for Bong Joon-ho in 2020.
On top of those moves, Magellan, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May, will screen at the Toronto International Film Festival and New York Film Festival this September.
“With the Oscars, it’s like going through the eye of the needle,“ said Diaz. “It’s more of an election process. The methodology is we have to campaign. Fortunately, we have good distributors in North America, Europe. We’re in good hands. In the promotional aspect, that’s already a big thing.”
FAP director-general Paolo Villaluna said Magellan can count on support from the government for its Oscars push.
“We’ve been sending so many good films, but people forget it’s also a financial campaign,” said Villaluna. “When we look at other international films which got in the shortlist, it was because they had big national government support, and we’ll be doing that this year.”
As the Philippines shoots for an Oscars breakthrough, Reyes underlined the importance of continuing to produce films that are not “more of the same.”
“We need to make more good films,” said Reyes. “The only problem is how we’re going to convince producers to create deeper and more meaningful films.” – Rappler.com
