After months to years of waiting, ‘1521: The Quest for Love and Freedom’ will finally be showing in Philippine cinemas starting June 5, 2024.
“Sabi ko sa direktor, as much as possible ‘wag tayong gagamit ng computer graphics (CGI), as much as possible ‘wag green screen. So kapag naghahanap ka ng lugar for 1521, saan ka mapupunta? Sa last frontier of the Philippines. Kaya ‘yung makikita ninyo na beach sa movie, walang kuryente, walang cell site, and I’m glad that we made that decision kasi ‘nung nanalo ang film ng Best Cinematography in Sweden, it’s because of that site kasi napakaganda,” producer Francis B. Lara Ho on why they chose to shoot the movie 1521: The Quest for Love and Freedom in Palawan instead of Cebu which was where the story of Lapu-Lapu and Magellan happened.
“Secondly, as much as possible, gusto ko natural. The location is called Tagkawayan Beach in Puerto Prinsesa, 45 minutes from the city. I’m also based in Palawan as I am based in the US. So majority of our resources are there. In fact, the village that we converted to Mactan Village or Cebu Village is our own land and once the movie comes out, you can go there. It’s become a tourist attraction. And lastly, mas cost-effective doing it in Palawan than somewhere else. As a Palawenyo, although I’m originally from Iloilo, I want to provide livelihood sa kanila,” he continues.
But doing a Hollywood-level film with a story from the Philippines, how was the process of casting? And what did Danny Trejo’s initial thoughts when he was offered the part?
“We send a script to Andy Garcia, Danny Trejo and I think there’s another one. But Danny was the one who really resonated with the material. Nagustuhan talaga niya kaya sa interview sabi niya na the moment na nabasa niya, his manager gave us a call afterwards. No one has made a movie about Magellan actually, except from the mini series in Amazon Prime called Boundless,” Francis answers.
“Si Ms. Bea, it’s always been my dream to work with her kasi nakita ko track record niya and magaling talaga siya, stellar ang performance niya. I don’t know if she will have the chance to see this (1521 movie), we’ve sent her a screener and I don’t know if she will have the chance to hear what I’m about to say but I really admire her. She’s a great actress, she’s a stellar performer. In fact, sabi ko there were times during production na sinabi ko na ‘napakagaling mo.’ When she is there, hindi lang niya alam ang part niya. She even knows the part of the other person, ganu’n siya ka-professional. So I apologize because of my limited knowledge and experience as a first time producer. I made some calls that somehow hindi nakatulong sa kanya and I take responsibility for that. I hope she accepts my apology. It was always been my dream to work with her. Siya ang first choice ko talaga,” he continues.
In the pre-Spanish era Philippines, a young beautiful native princess falls in love with a handsome Spanish soldier. Against all odds, and pulled apart by their loyalties to their own people, they fight for their clandestine romance.
The film stars Danny Trejo as Ferdinand Magellan, Bea Alonzo as Diwata, Michael Copon as Lapu-Lapu, Hector David, Jr as Enrique and Costas Mandylor as Lorenzo, directed by Michael Copon.
Watch our interview below: