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‘We can’t move forward if we don’t know our past,’ says Lav Diaz, whose historical epic drama ‘Magellan’ got selected as the Philippines’ official entry to the 2026 Oscars under the Best International Feature Film category
MANILA, Philippines – Lav Diaz’s Magellan earned the nod as the Philippines’ official entry for the Best International Feature Film category in the 98th Academy Awards or 2026 Oscars.
The historical epic drama that explores the final months of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who sailed to the Philippines under the Spanish crown in the 16th century, beat out six other films shortlisted by the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP).
Other films considered were Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea, Sunshine, Green Bones, Some Nights I Feel Like Walking, Song of the Fireflies, and Hello, Love, Again.
Diaz hopes Filipinos watch the film, saying the nation must remember its past for a better future. It will have its nationwide premiere on September 10.
“It’s important to look back on our history because that’s where we came from. We can’t move forward if we don’t know our past,” said Diaz in Filipino after the FAP announced the selection on Monday, September 1, to kick off Philippine Film Industry Month at the Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong City.
“People need to watch this.”
It is Diaz’s second film selected as the Philippines’ Oscars entry after his 2013 psychological drama Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan.
The award-winning director, best known as a leading figure of slow cinema who delves into the social and political realities that have shaped the Philippines, had near-death experiences in the process of making Magellan as he battled tuberculosis.
“It’s hard to explain how we finished this,” said Diaz. “I nearly died. But that’s the magic of cinema. After living in the mud, struggling, at some point you don’t know what you’re doing anymore, but you have the consciousness to finish what they call vision.”
FAP director-general Paolo Villaluna said Magellan was selected by a panel of seven film experts approved by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which stages the Oscars.
The criteria for selection included artistic and technical excellence, embodiment of Filipino values and culture, international appeal, and producers’ capability to carry out a successful campaign abroad.
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.
“This year’s selection has actually been the most difficult in recent years,” said Villaluna. “The selection process was exceptionally challenging, with the selection committee having to make some very difficult choices from a pool of truly outstanding films.”
Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal, who featured in award-winning films The Motorcycle Diaries (2004), Babel (2006), and Coco (2017), stars as the titular character.
The film also stars Filipino actors Ronnie Lazaro, Hazel Orencio, Bong Cabrera, and Amado Arjay Babon. – Rappler.com
