Mindanao
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Brillante Mendoza
Produced by	Brillante Mendoza Carlo Valenzona
Starring	Judy Ann Santos Allen Dizon
Cinematography	Odyssey Flores
Edited by	Diego Marx Dobles
Music by	Teresa Barrozo
Production company	Center Stage Production
Distributed by	Solar Pictures GMA Pictures[1]
Release dates	October 5, 2019 (2019-10-05) (BIFF) December 25, 2019 (2019-12-25) (Philippines)
Running time	132 minutes
Country	Philippines
Language	Tagalog

Mindanao is a 2019 Philippine war drama film directed byBrillante Mendoza starringJudy Ann Santos andAllen Dizon. It was selected as the Philippine entry for theBest International Feature Film at the93rd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.^[2]

• Judy Ann Santos as Saima Datupalo; a Muslim mother who cares for her daughter afflicted with cancer. This is Santos' first film with directorBrillante Mendoza and her firstMetro Manila Film Festival film since2012 where she starred inSi Agimat, si Enteng at si Ako withBong Revilla andVic Sotto. Among the challenges Santos dealt with in portraying her role is the fact that she had to often carry a 7-year-old child.^[3] She also had to take into account cultural sensitivities to be able to portray a Muslim character in a respectful manner.^[4] Santos accepted the role after she was approached by Mendoza despite having no script yet for the film at the time the offer was made.^[5]
• Allen Dizon as Malang Datupalo; A combat medic^[6] in thePhilippine Army deployed to fight rebel forces in Mindanao^[7] and the husband of Saima. Dizon's character is characterized as aMaguindanaoan Muslim man by director Mendoza to show that religion and personal belief is irrelevant to one's "love for country".^[8]
• Yuna Tangog as Aisa Datupalo; the 6-year-old child actress portrays Aisa, the cancer-stricken daughter of Malang and Saima Datupalo being cared for in the House of Hope, a temporary shelter for children affected by cancer inDavao City, by her mother.^[9]

Saima (Judy Ann Santos) cares for her cancer-stricken daughter Aisa (Yuna Tangog) while she awaits the return of her husband Malang (Allen Dizon), who serves as a combat medic deployed in the southern Philippines.^[10] Their struggle is juxtaposed with the folklore of Rajah Indara Patra andRajah Sulayman, the sons of Sultan Nabi, who fight to stop a dragon devastatingLanao.^[6]

Mindanao was produced under Center Stage Production and was directed by Brillante Mendoza. It was produced by Mendoza and Carlo Valenzona. Diego Marx Dobles was responsible for the editing, Odyssey Flores for the cinematography while Teresa Barrozo provided direction for the film's music. Mendoza himself also was behind the film's production design.^[11]

Prior to making the film director Brillante Mendoza researched aboutMindanao. Since the film involved the Maguindanaon folklore of Rajah Indara Patra and Rajah Sulayman the film was initially known under the working title ofMaguindanao but the title of the film was changed toMindanao since the film's theme was deemed by Mendoza to be "bigger thanMaguindanao". However he conceded that the issues affecting Mindanao are complex and the film is unable to fully present these issues to the audience.^[6]

Prior to the film's Busan release a music video featuring the film's theme song "Itadyak" by Maan Chua was released. It featured colorful dances and select scenic locations from the film.^[6]Solar Pictures released the theatrical release poster forMindanao in the Philippines on November 16, 2019.^[12]

Mindanao was first released outside the Philippines at the2019 Busan International Film Festival on October 5, 2019, as part of the Icons category.^[10] It was also exhibited at theTokyo on October 30, 2019.^[8] The film was also screened in film festivals inEgypt,Estonia,India, andTaiwan.^[7] The film premiered in Philippine cinemas on December 25, 2019, as an entry of the2019 Metro Manila Film Festival. Due to its critical success in the film festival's awarding night, the film organizers decided to sponsor the film's screening in future film festivals.^[13]

• List of submissions to the 93rd Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film
• List of Philippine submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

• Mindanao atIMDb

• 2019 films
• 2019 drama films
• 2019 war drama films
• 2010s war drama films
• Films with live action and animation
• Philippine war drama films
• Films about rebellions in the Philippines
• Films set in Mindanao
• Films about cancer

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• Use Philippine English from April 2023
• All Wikipedia articles written in Philippine English
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