‘Magellan’ aims for the Oscars

Rather than watching Lav Diaz’s film about Magellan in theaters, Pinoys seem more interested these days in following news developments online and posting their reactions to those events.

Magellan, our country’s submission to next year’s Oscars, opened in theaters on 10 September, and there are no reports — official or unofficial — about how much it grossed on opening day. The silence could mean the film is hardly a box office hit at all.

We thought the hype about the film’s submission to the Oscars and its having received standing ovations at international film festivals would ensure a resounding box office performance.

As we go to press, we have monitored only two Magellan reviews from Philippine-based film critics Philbert Dy and Ralph Revelar Sarza. Happily, both reviewers like the film.

Its future at the Oscars does not depend on local patronage, of course, but on the members of the US Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, better known by its acronym AMPAS. It may even be good enough for the Philippines if Magellan makes it to the five nominees for the Best International Film category (which used to be known as Best Foreign Film).

A movie nominated as Best International Film may also be nominated in other categories — and win. 

At the 2020 Academy Awards, South Korean director Bong Joon Ho’s film Parasite made history by becoming the first non-English language film to win Best Picture. The critically acclaimed film also won Oscars for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film, accumulating four wins out of six nominations. 

Magellan has notable reviews from international film critics. Those reviews could urge AMPAS members to pay attention to the Diaz film. Campaigning for votes is allowed in the Oscars, though it is an expensive undertaking. The cost may even be higher than a film’s production budget. That’s how obsessed film companies are about making it to the Academy Awards. 

No Pinoy film has become a finalist nominee at the Oscars. No, not even Dolly de Leon, whom Filipinos thought would make it in 2023 as Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the France-produced A Triangle of Sadness that made her a nominee at the Globe Awards. 

A finalist nomination is actually what makes a film an entry. Over the years, Pinoy entertainment media have been referring to submission to the Oscars as “entry.” 

Meanwhile, if Magellan is released on Netflix Philippines, it may become a hit there among Pinoy viewers. At our movie houses, the latest hits were Maris Racal’s Sunshine and Baby Ruth Villarama’s Food Delivery. 

What Pinoys are preoccupied with these days is the extreme corruption in the government, as starkly revealed in the case against private contractors who connived with the Department of Public Works and Highway over ghost flood control infrastructure or defective ones. The corruption has led certain families and their children to brag on social media about their lives of incredible extravagance. 

Even showbiz idols have been speaking out against corruption and conscienceless extravagance. 

For instance, actor Alden Richards shared on his Instagram story on Wednesday, 10 September, an art card containing his definition of “kuracaught (kurakot): a corrupt na opisyal or indibidwal na huling-huli na sa ginagawang walang-habas na katiwalaan at pangungurakot (corrupt official or individual who got caught unconscientiously engaged in anomalies and stealing).”