Sales agency Luxbox has come on board Lav Diaz’s historical drama “Magellan,” which stars Gael García Bernal. The film will have its world premiere in Cannes Film Festival’s Premiere section.
Diaz’s previous films include “The Woman Who Left,” which won Venice’s Golden Lion in 2016, and “From What Is Before,” which won Locarno’s Golden Leopard in 2014.
The film, set in the 16th century, follows Magellan, a young and ambitious Portuguese navigator. He rebels against the power of the King of Portugal, who doesn’t support his dream of discovering the world, and persuades the Spanish monarchy to fund his bold expedition to the fabled lands of the East.
The voyage is exhausting beyond expectations, with hunger and mutiny pushing the crew to their limits. Upon reaching the islands of the Malayan Archipelago, Magellan’s mind changes. He becomes obsessed with conquest and conversion, which sparks violent uprisings beyond his control.
The producer is Joaquim Sapinho at Rosa Filmes in Portugal, who said: “Lav Diaz has a unique point of view to film the encounter between Magellan and the Philippines. But Gael García Bernal guides us into the mystery of our common human nature. Together they reinvent the cinema of adventures.”
The co-producers are Andergraun Films (Spain), Black Cap Pictures (Philippines), Ten17P (Philippines), El Viaje Filmes (Spain), Volos Films (Taiwan), Lib Films (France) and AKP21 (France).
The Luxbox team, which is led by Fiorella Moretti, said in a joint statement: “It is a true honor for us at Luxbox to collaborate with Lav Diaz, a master of contemporary cinema whose audacious artistic voice has long inspired us. With ‘Magellan,’ he delivers an epic vision of history, anchored by a stunning performance from Gael García Bernal. This story, rooted in one of the most defining episodes of global history, has never been told from a Filipino point of view — and Lav Diaz brings it to the screen with depth, poetry and urgency.”
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