Magellan

Gael García Bernal stars as a turncoat explorer, embarking on an ambitious but ill-fated voyage around the world.

Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan dreams of being the first person to circumnavigate the globe. When his ambitions are nixed by his king, he decides to defect, taking his grand plans to the King of Spain instead. Having obtained the funding he needs, Magellan embarks on a journey across the high seas.

Along the way, power dynamics shift and objectives change, but when Magellan arrives in the Philippine archipelago his plans truly unravel.

Curator’s note
Journeying at a measured pace, Lav Diaz’s 16th century historical drama is a sublime viewing experience, quietly demanding its audience to surrender and fall under its dreamy spell. A confident film, it discards well-worn conventions of pacing along the way to define its own rules. The effect is a historical drama like no other.

Originally announced under the working title Beatriz, the Wife, the film was expected to focus primarily on Magellan’s wife who is portrayed briefly by Ângela Azevedo. The renamed film premiered at the 78th Cannes Film Festival and is now the Philippines’ official entry to the Academy Awards for Best International Feature.

A companion piece focusing on Beatriz is rumoured to be in post-production.

– Reece Goodwin, Senior Programmer (Film & Screen Industry)