'Magellan' strikes gold in Spain — a triumph for Philippine cinema

Filipino director Lav Diaz’s “Magellan” — the Philippines’ official submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the upcoming Oscars — has seized the “Golden Spike” (Best Picture) at the 70th Valladolid International Film Festival (SEMINCI) in Spain.

But that’s not all — this year’s Best Picture honour resulted in a rare tie, with “Magellan” sharing the top laurel with Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind, announced during a glittering closing gala on Wednesday, Oct. 29.

The festival’s jury praised Diaz’s work for transporting audiences across time, selecting “Magellan” for its power to “immerse themselves in the past from the present” and “reread colonial history through a complex and critical lens.” 

They also celebrated its “extraordinary aesthetic, photographic and temporal vision” and its bold “narrative ambition, formal rigour, and unique ability to intertwine historical reflection with cinematic experience.”

Meanwhile, the German drama “Silent Friend”, directed by Ildikó Enyedi, secured both the Silver Spike and Green Spike honours — a strong showing in a fiercely competitive year.

Back home, pride echoed across social media, as the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) hailed “Magellan’s” victory as a moment of national triumph.

The sweeping historical film charts the odyssey of Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan, portrayed by Gael García Bernal, as he embarks on his notorious quest to circumnavigate the globe amid bitter imperial rivalry between Spain and Portugal.

His journey leads him to the island of Cebu, where he encounters Rajah Humabon — played by Filipino acting legend Ronnie Lazaro — setting into motion events that forever altered Philippine history.

The film held its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival last May before reaching Philippine theaters four months later.

Magellan is more than a period film — it is a reclamation of history. 

The voyage of Ferdinand Magellan — that bold Portuguese navigator who dared chase the edge of the world — forever twisted the fate of the distant archipelago that would one day bear the name of a king: the Philippine Islands, christened in honour of Spain’s King Philip II.

Diaz wrests the narrative of Magellan away from colonial mythmaking and repositions Filipino voices at the forefront of their own story.

It marks yet another international accolade for Diaz, one of the most influential slow-cinema visionaries alive today — and signals that the Philippines is once again a formidable force on the world cinema stage.