Mike De Leon is back with a passion project, “Citizen Jake”, his first movie in 17 years.
The trailer for “Citizen Jake” premiered at the Quezon City film fest, QCinema, prior to the screening of De Leon’s “Batch ’81” in its restored version.
The trailer revealed the character of Atom Araullo playing the role of a journalist, Jake Herrera, whose search for truth is marred by political ties.
Emotionally charged confrontations come one after the other, masterfully played by the cast that consists of Cherie Gil, Max Collins, Luis Alandy and Gabby Eigenmann.
In a September Facebook post, De Leon said it would be his “longest and most personal film.”
“It is first and foremost a human drama, a personal saga of a young man struggling with the contradictions within his own social class and the demands of a dysfunctional political family,” de Leon describes the film.
The film also makes a statement against the Marcos family who has remained in power despite atrocities during the rule of dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
“The specter of the Marcoses returning to power spooked me, and we had just elected a President who believed that the regime of Ferdinand Marcos was not bad at all,” the director laments in his statement. He is also alarmed that the current administration may be even harsher than that of Marcos.
Araullo also assisted in writing the screenplay. In an ABS-CBN interview, the journalist described the experience “like going through a really, really great and intense workshop in filmmaking.”
De Leon hails from a family of filmmakers. His grandmother, Doña Sisang, headed the now-defunct LVN Pictures which produced films under the Golden Age of Philippine Cinema such as “Ibong Adarna” and “Anak Dalita”.
De Leon’s films are known to carry social and political themes. His works include contemporary masterpieces such as “Kisapmata” and “Kakabakaba Ka Ba?” JB
[Editor’s note: This report has been updated on Oct. 31, 2017, 5:51 p.m., to include the link to director Mike De Leon’s full statement about “Citizen Jake”, issued on Sept. 17, 2017 via the film’s official Facebook page.]
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