CCP Cine Icons Premiere of “Aguila”
Shortly after marking its first anniversary, the CCP Cine Icons returned for the premiere of yet another must-see classic Filipino film “Aguila,” written and directed by National Artist Eddie Romero and starring National Artist Fernando Poe Jr., on April 3, at the GSIS Theater. A talkback followed after the film screening.
Free and open to the public, the special screening celebrated the centennial birth anniversary of Romero.
About Eddie Romero
A film director, producer, and screenwriter who was declared a National Artist in 2003, Romero’s body of work delves into the country’s history and politics. His most revered historical films include “Ganito Kami Noon…Paano Kayo Ngayon?,” “Kamakalawa,” and “Banta ng Kahapon.”
Romero also directed some critically acclaimed war films in the early 1960s, such as “Lost Battalion” (1960), “The Raiders of Leyte Gulf” (1963), and “The Walls of Hell” (1964).
About “Aguila”
“Aguila” is a 1980 Philippine period drama film about flashbacks encompassing the country’s history amid the life story of an elderly patriarch named Daniel Aguila.
The film begins with the Aguila family gathering to celebrate Daniel’s 88th birthday, yet the old man is nowhere to be seen since he has been missing for a decade. Suspecting that his father was in Mindanao, one of his sons takes off for that region in a determined search. Along the way, his memories of the nation and his father’s life explore the parallel narratives of 80 tumultuous years of personal and historical development.
“Aguila’s” prevalent themes include family, history and society, and nationalism. At the time of its release, the movie was considered the biggest event in local movie history and the biggest Filipino film ever made. It duly won six accolades at the 1981 Famas Awards, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay, and nine nominations at the 1981 Gawad Urian Awards.
About CCP Cine Icons
Launched in 2023, CCP Cine Icons is a special program of the CCP Film, Broadcast, and New Media Division-Production and Exhibition Department (FBNMD-PED). It aims to honor and popularize the lives and works of National Artists and Gawad CCP Para sa Sining awardees.
