MMFF 2023: Enchong Dee, Cedrick Juan, Dante Rivero’s ‘GomBurZa’

Scene from “GomBurZa” —JESUIT COMMUNICATIONS

(We are running this guide to help you plan your movie-viewing activity during the holidays. The 49th Metro Manila Film Festival, or MMFF, Christmas Edition runs from Dec. 25 to Jan. 7, 2024.)

Directed by Pepe Diokno; written by Rody Vera; starring Dante Rivero, Cedrick Juan, Enchong Dee, Piolo Pascual, Ketchup Eusebio, Elijah Canlas and Tommy Alejandrino; produced by Jesuit Communications, MQuest Ventures, in collaboration with CMB Film Services.

The historical film tells the story of three martyr priests—Mariano Gomez (Rivero), Jose Burgos (Juan), and Jacinto Zamora (Dee)—who were executed by garrote in Bagumbayan on Feb. 17, 1872, falsely accused of sedition and treason. Laden with intrigue, battle scenes and love of country, “GomBurZa” is an epic tribute to the people behind the birth of our Filipino consciousness.

“It’s not a slow film,” Diokno swore. “It is set within a span of 10 years, but is told within a couple of hours. It’s really packed with events, packed with characters. I think today’s audiences are not going to get bored by it. They will actually be very engaged.”

Meanwhile, Juan described landing the role of Burgos as “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to showcase his talent as an actor. “I find the character of Padre Burgos interesting. [While doing the film], I also learned the great importance of the three priests in our history. Their actions started the awakening of our identity as Filipinos,” he said. —MARINEL CRUZ