Award-winning filmmaker Lav Diaz’s “Magellan” will represent the Philippines at the 98th Academy Awards.
On Monday, Sept. 1, the Film Academy of the Philippines shared the announcement during the Philippine Film Industry Month celebration of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP).
The historical drama will compete in the Best International Feature Film category. To support the campaign, Diaz’s team will receive a P1 million grant through the FDCP’s Oscars Assistance Program.
“Magellan” stars Mexican actor Gael García Bernal as Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and veteran Filipino actor Ronnie Lazaro as Cebu’s Raja Humabon. The ensemble cast also features Dario Bernal, Angela Ramos, Amado Arjay Babon, Mario Huerta Castro, Ivo Arroja, Tomas Alves, Bong Cabrera, Hazel Orencio, Sasa Cabalquinto, and Rafa Siguion-Reyna.
The film, which explores the clash of cultures during Magellan’s arrival in the Philippines, earned a five-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.
Diaz, known for the acclaimed works “Norte,” “End of History,” and “Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis,” was selected over other contenders including “Green Bones,” “Hello, Love, Again,” “Food Delivery,” “Sunshine,” “Song of the Fireflies,” and “Some Nights I Feel Like Walking.”
The 98th Academy Awards will be held in early 2026 in Los Angeles.
