Excited
Have you ever heard of the Philippine–American War? Did you know that during this struggle, an estimated number of 34,000 – 1,000,000 Filipino men, women, and children were killed as a result? It is not surprising for those who haven’t heard of this conflict as this is one of many America’s dark patches during its imperialist run to “civilize” foreign Asian countries. How do we prevent a story like this to be completely forgotten in the dust crooks of history? One of the most effective ways to provide a visceral reminder is through the power of film and the media and it is through this format that one can tell this forgotten story. This is where AMIGO comes in.
While this is not the first attempt at bringing this forgotten conflict into light, it is one of only a small handful of films directed by an American to address the war, the only other notable example being The Real Glory, a film that was made in 1939. Directed by John Sayles, AMIGO stars Joel Torre as Rafael Dacanay, the mayor of a rural village caught in the murderous crossfire of the Philippine-American War in 1900. When Rafael Dacanayʼs (Joel Torre) rural village in the Philippines is occupied by American troops hunting for Filipino guerillas, he comes under pressure to collaborate from both the blood-and-guts Colonel Hardacre (Chris Cooper) and the head of the local guerillas, his brother Simón (Ronnie Lazaro). Rafael must carefully make the near-impossible, potentially deadly decisions faced by civilians in an occupied country.
It is important to note that nearly all of the AMIGO crew is from the Philippines with all post-production sound & picture being done in Quezon City and Makati and that all Filipino-speaking roles (Tagalog) roles are played by Pilipino actors only. Considering that the director is a white American, I definitely give them credit points for the people involved that they are going out of their way to be extremely authentic with this film. I appreciate that due to the sensitive nature of this topic and the fact that this war made a further crack in the Filipino cultural identity (a crack that was first made by the Spanish centuries before), the respect the film makers are giving to it guarantees that I am going to watch this when it comes out. Expect a review for our very own Dino-Ray in the coming weeks.
These are the release dates for AMIGO so if you see it playing in your city, do yourself a huge favor and check it out. Be educated in a dark, forgotten event of American and Filipino history. You can get a taste of the film with the trailer provided below.
Opening on Aug. 19th in the following cities:
Bergenfield, NJ – Clearview Bergenfield
New York, NY — AMC Empire 25
Los Angeles, CA — Laemmle’s Monica 4
Los Angeles, CA (Cerritos) — Edwards Cerritos Stadium 10
Los Angeles, CA (West Covina) — AMC Puente Hills 20
San Diego, CA — UA Horton Plaza 14
Tukwila, WA (Seattle) — AMC Southcenter 16
San Jose, CA (Milpitas) — Century 20 Great Mall 20 + XD
Stockton, CA — Regal Stockton City Center Stadium 16
San Fran (Daly City) — UA Stonestown Twin
San Fran (Union City) — Cinemark Union Landing 25 + XD
Opening on Aug. 26th in:
San Jose, CA (Santa Clara) — AMC Mercardo 20
Honolulu, HI — Regal Dole Cannery
Guam — Micronesia Mall 10
Opening on Sep. 2nd in:
Virginia Beach, VA (Norfolk) — AMC Lynnhaven 18
Washington, DC — AMC Rio 18
Las Vegas, NV — Regal Village Square 18
Seattle, WA — Northwest Film Forum
Portland, OR — Hollywood Theater
Albuquerque, NM — Guild Cinema — Limited engagement; ends on Sep. 14th
Opening on Sept 16th in:
Dallas, TX — Texas Theater
Minneapolis, MN — St. Anthony Main Theater
Chicago, IL — Siskel Film Center
Special engagements in:
Oct. 1st only – Scottsdale, AZ — Scottsdale Int. Film Festival
Thanks for rating this! Now tell the world how you feel via Twitter.
How does this post make you feel?
- Fascinated
- Amused
- Bored
- Sad
- Angry
NOTE: 8Asians.com is a community, and we thank you for being a part of it. While we welcome and appreciate differences in opinion, if you're rude or you're promoting spam, we have a right to edit or delete your comment. Read our comment policy for more information.
If you see a comment that violates the 8Asians.com comment policy, you may flag the comment by mousing over the comment and clicking "FLAG."
Facebook Comments (Beta)
Custom Search
Recent Posts
- Long Delayed K-Town Reality Show To Be Released On YouTube In July
- The Carrie Diaries Trailer Proves That Minorities Do Exist In New York
- Asian American Commercial Watch: McDonald’s “It’s Your Lunch – Take It” Campaign
- Uploaded: The Asian American Movement Review From 2012 LAAPFF
- Minorities Are Now Majority Of U.S. Births, Census Says
- MYX TV Pemieres MashBox Interactive Series With App
- Arizona’s Immigration Law, Lewd Chinese Women, and API History
Recent Comments
- : First let me declare my non Asian ethnicity. I often see the rewrite of history in our government, parks, museums. What would be a proposal... – The Ruins of Calico's Chinatown
- : Pacquiao never said that "gay people should be put to death", that was inserted by the writer. People are accusing Manny of being a violent... – Manny Pacquiao, Filipino Homophobia And Masculinity
- : It's not that difficult to include an minority actor in the cast. The challenge is to include roles for minorities that ARE NOT stereotypes. Something... – The Carrie Diaries Trailer Proves That Minorities Do Exist In New York
- : This is my current favorite commercial. I like that it's the two minorities that are bucking the system and standing up for their right to... – Asian American Commercial Watch: McDonald's "It's Your Lunch - Take It" Campaign
- : Oh yeah. Complete with musical numbers. – The Carrie Diaries Trailer Proves That Minorities Do Exist In New York
APA Events
Oct 14: (Seattle, WA) From Fields to Family: Asian Pacific Americans and Food
Mar 1: (Atlanta, GA) The Art of Gaman: Arts and Crafts from the Japanese American Internment Camps, 1942-1946
Apr 26: (New York, NY) June 4, 1989: Media and Mobilization Beyond Tiananmen Square
Apr 26: (New York, NY) America through a Chinese Lens
Apr 27: (Seattle, WA) SEX IN SEATTLE 20: HAPPILY EVER AFTER. . . (the series finale!)
May 24: (San Jose, CA) Sake San Jose
May 24: (New York, NY) A Conversation with artists Arthur Ou, Hai Zhang, and Julie Quon in Conjunction with America through a Chinese Lens
May 24: (San Francisco, CA) Literasians 2012: Writers Converge on the APIA Literary Continuum
Staff and Contributors
- Editors
Moye Ishimoto
Co-Editor, Editorial
Jocelyn "Joz" Wang
Co-Editor, PR & APA Outreach
- Founder
Ernie Hsiung
Founder
Pingback: Giveaway: ‘Amigo’ Poster Signed by John Sayles and Joel Torre | History | 8Asians.com
Pingback: LAST CHANCE: ‘Amigo’ Poster Signed by John Sayles and Joel Torre | (simple) | 8Asians.com