Magellan (2025)

[BluBonnet]

Lav Diaz hopes to launch ‘Magellan’ starring Gael Garcia Bernal at Cannes

Diretor Lav Diaz hopes a 165-minute version of Magellan, his feature film starring Gael Garcia Bernal as Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, will debut at Cannes next month.

Formerly Beatrice, The Wife, the film has been retitled Magellan, with an as-yet-undetermined longer title. Diaz has shifted the focus away from Magellan’s relationship with his wife Beatrice, to take in more of the perspective of the conquered Malay people.

“It’s not just the perspective of the European anymore,” Diaz told Screen. “It’s a more advanced perspective of Southeast Asia. It’s always the white man’s burden every time we do historical things connected with Europe or America; I want to balance it.”

The film stars Garcia Bernal alongside a Portuguese actress as Beatrice, with Filipino, Portuguese and Spanish actors rounding out the cast.

Speaking at the Doha Film Institute’s Qumra lab where he is a Master, Diaz said he “just finished” the film, which is “all about death”.

Diaz, who is known for his long films, told the Qumra audience that his cut is “around nine hours.”

“Some festivals, maybe they just want to show three hours, so the producers compromise, so they will see three hours of it,” said Diaz. “But I will have the full cut.”

“[The producers] are trying some very imposing festival in France,” said Diaz, referring to Cannes. “But I don’t know. They will be having some headache about it.”

Magellan has been in the works for several years, with Portuguese production outfit Rosa Filmes presenting it on its slate in 2019. It is also produced by Spain’s Andergraun Films and Epicmedia Productions from the Philippines.

Asked about the presence of violence in his work, Diaz said, “It’s the nature of my culture. Filipinos are very violent. Magellan found out – he came here, they killed him.”