When action superstar Robin Padilla announced last year that he will be producing a biopic of Andres Bonifacio, a national hero and one of the revolutionary leaders of the Philippine uprising against its Spanish colonial masters, many praised the actor for injecting some sense and meaning to the Metro Manila Film Festival, where it is one of this year’s official entries.
Last year, Padilla produced and starred in 10,000 Hours, a politically-sensitive film about corruption in the Philippines. Despite its serious tone, the film did well at the box office. In this year’s edition of the festival, Bonifacio is doing well, though it is not among the most commercially successful films in the festival. We caught up with the actor.
Q. What inspired you to do a film on Andres Bonifacio?
A. We wanted to introduce one of our most revered heroes to the younger generation, hoping that they would learn from his life and exploits as one of the revolutionary leaders during the Spanish occupation of the Philippines. While his life is part of the education curriculum, we felt that we needed to bring him to life to make him more inspiring for today’s generation of Filipinos, especially the young ones.
Q. Are you wary that because of its serious theme, the Filipino film-going public will not be as supportive?
A. Money is not the issue here. Of course, we would like the film to be commercially successful, but if it is not a big hit, it is enough for us that we are able to reach out to some Filipinos. We are happy that some schools and universities have actually made it a viewing requirement, so that alone is a significant victory for us.
Q. What were some of the challenges you encountered while doing the film?
A. The accuracy of the story, and making it relevant for today’s generation. We also wanted to make sure that we present history in a new light, while remaining true to the facts.
Q. It has in fact stirred a debate among historians, as to who the first president of the Philippines is. What can you say about this?
A. Again, that can only mean the film has made a difference. We are not trying to change history, we want to remain true to the facts available and some more information that we were able to gather through our own research. The fact that the film has been the subject of discussion among teachers and lovers of history, for us it means that we have reintroduced the subject in a way that rouses interest and intelligent discourse.
Q. It also sparked a mild controversy because of your nephew Daniel Padilla and Jasmine Curtis-Smith.
A. It was unintentional. What happened, happened. They are teenagers and it is normal for young people to develop many crushes during this period. But that was part of the approach we took, meaning casting young actors to depict Andres Bonifacio’s early life, and loves. We can’t help it, that’s what resonates with our young, so we can at least entice them to come and watch the movie. Still, we made sure it was relevant to the overall purpose of the film.
