The Philippines’ official Oscars entry for Best International Feature Film has just won the Golden Spike (Best Picture) at the 70th Valladolid International Film Festival (SEMINCI) in Spain – sharing the top honor with Kelly Reichardt’s ‘The Mastermind.’
The jury hailed ‘Magellan’ for its powerful reimagining of colonial history, stunning visuals, and bold storytelling that bridges the past and present. The Film Academy of the Philippines called it a proud victory for Filipino cinema, celebrating the vision of one of the country’s most acclaimed auteurs.
Premiering at Cannes 2025 before making its way through the international film festival circuit, ‘Magellan’ is distributed globally by Janus Films and continues to earn widespread acclaim for director Lav Diaz, whose unflinching cinema reclaims history from the lens of the colonized.
Starring Gael García Bernal as Ferdinand Magellan, Ronnie Lazaro as Rajah Humabon, and Amado Arjay Babon as Enrique of Malacca-whom Lav emphasizes as the first Malay to circumnavigate the globe-the film stands as a monumental achievement for Philippine cinema and Southeast Asian storytelling on the world stage.
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