It was a no-brainer when my friend asked if I wanted a pair of tickets to see the U.S. premiere of John Sayles' Amigo at the Mann's Chinese Theater during AFI Fest, one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world. With a Q&A from the writer/director himself, no less!
John Sayles, after all, is the much loved indie filmmaker and writer responsible for such movies as Eight Men Out, Passion Fish, and one of the best films of the 1990s, Lone Star. But with his new film Amigo, Sayles is likely on his way to becoming beloved in the Philippines as well by Pilipino Americans.
The Philippine-American War in 1900 is the setting for Sayles' new film, which is the most significant film to cover this forgotten period of history since 1939's The Real Glory with Gary Cooper.
Sayles acknowledged while speaking to the theater audience that he hoped to "reclaim history" with Amigo, noting the sad reality that the Philippine-American War is neglected history as well as an event not properly chronicled in the Philippines itself.
Amigo addresses the pivotal time in Philippine history in which the Spanish influence was waning and an Americanized identity was on the horizon. The inspiration for Amigo came from Sayles' soon-to-be-published novel "A Moment in the Sun" (2011).
Sayles fans and Pilipino Americans left Mann's with insight into a period of history that had not been given its due in American culture for almost 5 generations. And maybe not even now - the film has yet to secure distribution.
BakitWhy.com had the pleasure of chatting with the director after the screening. Sayles hopes to work with members of the Pilipino American community in bringing this important historical document to the people. The film will also have its Philippine premiere in 2011.
The written history of the Philippines is often criticized for its "Western" perspective, so it's refreshing to see an American history buff "re-shift" things and suggest that perhaps the American influence in the Philippines wasn't always as great as the books suggest it to have been. As a Pilino American who is often frustrated looking for good Philippine History books, I was happy to watch Amigo.
Salamat, John Sayles.
*Photo by Stephen Dypiangco
For more information on Amigo and writer/director John Sayles, please visit http://johnsaylesbaryo.blogspot.com.
