{"id":1155,"date":"2022-08-07T13:36:18","date_gmt":"2022-08-07T05:36:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gqq.gfl.temporary.site\/website_23b9925e\/?p=1155"},"modified":"2022-08-07T13:36:18","modified_gmt":"2022-08-07T05:36:18","slug":"hollywood-filmmakers-are-mounting-a-feature-that-seeks-to-showcase-filipino-history-and-heroism-to-an-international-audience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/energetic-pink-donkey.109-123-235-239.cpanel.site\/?p=1155","title":{"rendered":"HOLLYWOOD FILMMAKERS ARE MOUNTING A FEATURE THAT SEEKS TO SHOWCASE FILIPINO HISTORY AND HEROISM TO AN INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCE"},"content":{"rendered":"

US-based Filipino producer Francis B. Lara Ho and Filipino-American actor-director Michael Copon are collaborating for the film \u201c1521\u201d which will depict a clandestine love story against the backdrop of the epic clash between pre-colonial Filipinos and Spanish forces of Ferdinand Magellan in Mactan, Philippines more than 500 years ago.<\/p>\n

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Left to right: Francis B. Lara Ho (producer); Danny Trejo; Bea Alonzo; Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan; Michael Copon; Costas Mandylor; Hector David Jr.; and Terry Amos.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The film boasts a powerhouse cast including Copon, renowned American actor Danny Trejo, Filipino superstar Bea Alonzo, and award-winning actress Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan.<\/p>\n

\n
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\u201c1521\u201d<\/strong> opens with the character Didi or Diwata, who dreams of being transported to pre-colonial Philippines while exploring the ruins of an ancient Spanish fort.<\/p>\n

In her dream, she becomes a native princess who falls in love with Magellan\u2019s handsome translator Enrique \u2014 their romance caught up in the conflict.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The events become more complicated after Didi awakens, and soon finds the line between her dream and reality blurring.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The film will also be told largely from the perspective of Lapu-Lapu, regarded as the first Filipino hero for leading the forces that defeated the Spaniards.<\/p>\n

Copon, who will both direct the film and portray Lapu-Lapu, said he took on the project to highlight Filipino history and culture.<\/p>\n

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Michael Copon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cPeople don\u2019t know what happened to Magellan. Some people in America think he just died. And a lot of times, the history of the Philippines gets pushed under the rug, unnoticed, which led to the passion that we wanted to embrace those stories and embrace the culture, and say \u2018Hey! Let me get this out there,’\u201d<\/em> said Copon, known for starring in \u201cPower Rangers Time Force\u201d and the teen drama \u201cOne Tree Hill.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEven more historic is, this is the first time a Hollywood director and producer are producing a movie about a Filipino story with Hollywood stars and Filipino stars in one movie,\u201d<\/em> he added.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Danny Trejo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Trejo, who starred in the \u201cMachete\u201d and \u201cFrom Dusk till Dawn\u201d film series, will play Magellan.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Hector David Jr.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Alonzo will take on the role of Diwata while Puerto Rican actor Hector David Jr., who also appeared in \u201cPower Rangers,\u201d portrays her love interest Enrique.<\/p>\n

Copon said \u201c1521\u201d would not focus entirely on the Battle of Mactan, citing the romance between Diwata and Enrique, which he described as the \u201cheart and soul\u201d of the story.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t want to make a movie that is just about the battle and the war,\u201d<\/em> he said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Francis Lara Ho<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lara Ho said the film would be shot entirely in Palawan, which was picked for its scenic beaches and mountains.<\/p>\n

The producer, himself a Palawe\u00f1o, hoped to provide more opportunities to the people in the province through the project.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am actually pleasantly surprised when we did the casting that there are quite a few Palawe\u00f1os who are really incredible in talent. They just need the opportunities and so that\u2019s what we are bringing here,\u201d Lara Ho said.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cSad to say that Palawan is one of the richest in terms of natural resources but our poverty level is very high compared to other provinces. That\u2019s why I\u2019m hoping that bringing projects here would change that,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\u201c1521\u201d is scheduled for release on June 12, 2023, coinciding with the 125th celebration of Philippine Independence Day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

US-based Filipino producer Francis B. Lara Ho and Filipino-American actor-director Michael Copon are collaborating for the film \u201c1521\u201d which will depict a clandestine love story against the backdrop of the epic clash between pre-colonial Filipinos and Spanish forces of Ferdinand Magellan in Mactan, Philippines more than 500 years ago. The film boasts a powerhouse cast […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1159,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-events"],"pageone_source":{"pageone_source":"","author_name":"sipandblog.com"},"_pageone_source":"","zyndk8_nxtgen_metadata":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/energetic-pink-donkey.109-123-235-239.cpanel.site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/energetic-pink-donkey.109-123-235-239.cpanel.site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/energetic-pink-donkey.109-123-235-239.cpanel.site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/energetic-pink-donkey.109-123-235-239.cpanel.site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/energetic-pink-donkey.109-123-235-239.cpanel.site\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1155"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/energetic-pink-donkey.109-123-235-239.cpanel.site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1155\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/energetic-pink-donkey.109-123-235-239.cpanel.site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/energetic-pink-donkey.109-123-235-239.cpanel.site\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/energetic-pink-donkey.109-123-235-239.cpanel.site\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/energetic-pink-donkey.109-123-235-239.cpanel.site\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}