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Mindanao promises to be a wholesome Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) treat for the whole family this Christmas as the only fantasy, family drama film. A film by the award-winning film director Brillante Mendoza new movie and top-billed by Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo and Allen Dizon, #MindanaoTheMovie should be on top of your must-watch list on December 25.
Written by Honee Alipio, Mindanao brings together drama, action, and animation. The film follows the story of Saima (Santos), a Muslim mother who uses the epic tale of the brothers Rajah and Sulayman’s fight against dragons to tell bedtime stories to her cancer-stricken child Asia (Yuna Tangog) in a temporary home for children with cancer called the House of Hope in Davao, while her husband Malang Datupalo (Dizon) is a combat medic deployed in a civil conflict against rebel forces in Maguindanao.
Recently graded “A” by the Cinema Evaluation Board, “Mindanao” reflects the Filipino people as a nation, and, in turn, how it showcases local culture to the rest of the world. It also shows issues in the region, particularly those of conflict-relations to emphasise a point about the malignancy of conflict within Philippine society.
According to Mendoza, the film was originally titled as “Maguindanao,” however he said that the aspect of the animation seems “bigger than Maguindanao.”
The said story is based on the Mindanao folklore of brothers Rajah Indara Patra and Rajah Sulayman, the sons of the powerful Sultan Nabi, who journeyed to stop the dragons plaguing Lanao.
“Mindanao” was praised for skillfully brings together drama, action, and animation amidst the story of a war. It undermines the emotional impact of loss of life, stirring the audience’s emotions.
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