Philippines’ Oscar submission MAGELLAN (Magalhaes) to screen at AFI FEST 2025 at TCL Chinese Theatre 6, on October 22, 4:45 p.m.; Director Lav Diaz to attend Q&A after the screening

By Oliver Carnay

Filipino filmmaker LAV DIAZ (The Woman Who Left, AFI FEST 2014) is attending the Q&A of his latest opus “Magellan” (Magalhaes) at the upcoming AFI FEST 2025 screening slated on October 22, 4:45 p.m. at TCL Chinese Theatre Cinema 6. The film’s running time will be 160 minutes. The film is the official entry to the 98th Academy Awards.

The cast includes Gael Garcia Bernal (playing Magellan), Angela Azevedo, Amado Arjay Babon, Ronnie Lazaro, Hazel Orencio. The film will be in languages of Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, and French.

Gorgeously mounted, anti-colonial epic, Gael Garcia Bernal stars as infamous Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan. After the brutal conquest of Malacca in 1511, Magellan returns to Europe to continue his expeditions but finds the Portuguese crown unwilling to put up the funds. Turning to Spain, he gathers a motley crew including indigenous slave Enrique (Amado Arjay Babon) and sets sail for the Spice Islands. A long, arduous journey tests his resolve as famine and unrest spread quickly throughout the ship. When they finally arrive to the Philippines, Magellan finds purpose in spreading the gospel of Christianity but encounters a resilient people unafraid to stant their ground. Told in his trademark long takes, Diaz fashions staggering tableaus rendered in vivid hues, partnering with co-cinematographer Artur Tort (PACIFICATION) to tell this monumental story of colonialism and resistance that premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. (additional summary and text from Josh Gardner)

For tickets, please go to https://fest.afi.com/2025/luminaries-2025/magellan-magalhaes/