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| Tadhana | |
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 Archivo 1984 film poster | |
| Directed by | Nonoy Marcelo |
| Written by | Nonoy Marcelo |
| Based on | Tadhana: History of the Filipino People byFerdinand Marcos |
| Produced by | Imee Marcos |
| Edited by | Nonoy Marcelo |
| Music by | Freddie Aguilar |
Production company | |
Release date |
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Running time | 54 minutes |
| Country | Philippines |
| Languages |
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Tadhana[a] (English:Destiny)[1] is a 1978 Philippineadult animatedhistoricalcomedy film written and directed bycartoonistNonoy Marcelo. Presenting a satirical and light-hearted take on Philippine history, the film depicts several historical figures andmythological creatures during theSpanish colonial period through various vignettes.[2]
Based on a book of the same name byFerdinand Marcos, the tenthpresident of the Philippines,[2]Tadhana was commissioned by the Marcos' government to contributed as a part of themartial lawpropaganda. The film servedImee Marcos as a producer alongside his uncle and collaboratorJosé Zabala-Santos as one of the animators.[3]
Tadhana is the first feature-length animated film ever produced in the Philippines, despite being released as atelevision film, premiered onPhilippine television on September 21, 1978, in commemoration of the sixth anniversary of martial law. In later years, the film fell into obscurity, while it would be two decades before the next feature-length animated film was made by local producers:Geirry Garccia'sAdarna: The Mythical Bird (1997).[4][5]
Set before the colonization, zooming and intercutting images of illustrations and maps depict the war between Spain and Portugal forglobal colonial rights of the Philippines. In preparation to colonize,galleons, led byFerdinand Magellan, set sail across thePacific Ocean to one of the Philippine islands,Mactan, where it declares war witharmadas against theFilipino natives (Star Wars's main theme) led byLapu-Lapu (Villame),lops off Magellan's head.
Claimed victory by the natives,Spanish explorerMiguel Lopez de Legazpi (Aviado) surrenders and came in agreement to make apeace treaty with aBoholchieftainDatu Sikatuna under theirblood oath. In the Sandugo (One Blood) Art Exhibit, Legazpi and Sikatuna celebrate thedisco alongside several people andmythological creatures (consistingmanananggal andtikbalang, etc.) in theblood pact ritual (Throughout the Night by Soul Jugglers). Tensions grew between natives andconquistadors becoming more chaotic in the final minutes.
As the time overpass to centuries, the film ends with the glowing circular logo ofBagong Lipunan.
After becoming interested in animation while working as a cartoonist,Nonoy Marcelo was hired by the Philippine government to work as an animator at theNational Media Production Center beginning in 1977.[9] He then collaborated withImee Marcos, with whom he had previously worked with on the 1977documentary filmDa Real Makoy,[10][11] and his uncleJosé Zabala-Santos by creating the first-ever full-length animated film to come out of the Philippines, which was originally conceived as atelevision pilot that sought to teach the nation's history from the perspective of the Marcos administration.[12]
While writing and directing the film, he added his own interpretation of the history of the Philippines as a series of vignettes, including whimsical, satirical, sometimes subversive and particularly anti-clerical touches to the narrative.[13] Imee insists that while it was not only a literally faithful adaptation of her father's books, it was faithful to their themes.[8]
The animation studio was set up inQuezon City to highlight the strategic focus placed on the project.[14] Production on the film lasted for three months and employed a team of sixty artists, includingprintmaker Pandy Aviado, who served as the film’s animator andassistant director, and Santiago Bose, by Imee. Some of the production crew and artists also did voice work for the film, including Aviado and Marcelo himself.[14] Unlike many animated features filmed in24 frames per second,the film's animation is entirely limited withpanoramic drawings usingcellulose nitrate oracetate.[15]
Tadhana made its broadcasting premiere as atelevision film onGMA 7,RPN 9, andIBC 13 to commemoratethe sixth anniversary of Martial Law.[16][5][7]
Following the immense success ofTadhana and the "turning point" of Philippine animation as a labor hub in the 1980s, it was initiative of broadcasting catered to a broad audience and embedded the film within the popular culturalmilieu of the time.[17] Due to lack of commercial release in local theaters, the film was never credited to be the first animated film from the Philippines untilAdarna: The Mythical Bird in 1997.[4][5]
None of copies of known print or negative35mm film were found in the GMA archive after one-time broadcast until two decades later, when a video copy was recorded from that broadcast by Mr. Teddy Co, who lent the copy toMowelfund Film Institute.[8]
Tadhana was screened at theNational Gallery Singapore’s ‘Painting with Light,’ an annual festival of international films on art.[18] Before the screening, the film was rated NC16 for "some nudity" by theInfocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).[19]
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Related
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Drawing board to our country's first full-length animation by Nonoy Marcelo.
The twoNonoy Marcelo and Egay Navarro] managed to push the limits, casually capturing their producer Imee [Marcos] smoothing the way with coy Barbie-doll eyes.
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