Eraserheads. Image: Courtesy of DVENT Pictures, WEU, and Warner Bros. Pictures
Legendary OPM rock band Eraserheads will look back at the highest and lowest points of their careers in an upcoming docufilm that will premiere in theaters on March 2025.
Directed by Maria Diane Ventura, the “Eraserheads: Combo on the Run” docufilm will revolve around the band’s breakup, how they healed themselves, and the path leading up to their “Ang Huling El Bimbo” reunion concert in 2022. It will hit theaters from March 21 to 23 in select venues.
The docufilm, according to Ventura, is a look into the band’s “unflinching honesty and untold story behind the curtains” which she hopes will remind fans of their mark in Filipino culture.
“This is a comprehensive deconstruction of the band’s mythology, humanity, complex relationship, and the lasting mark they left on Filipino culture — one that transcends generations and differences,” she added in a press statement.
Ventura shared that creating the docufilm involved 30 reshoots over two years, as well as “58 versions with the help of four editors,” but the Eraserheads’ “candidness and forthright honesty” made their working relationship easy.
“Notorious for their guarded aloofness, I’m incredibly lucky and grateful to have witnessed these men allowing themselves to open up in ways people have never seen them,” she said. “Each interview revealed new layers and complexities, which found us constantly reframing to deepen the narrative.”
While “Combo on the Run” will be Ventura’s “first and last documentary,” she said that she was willing to make an exception to work with the rock band.
“An exception only for the Eraserheads, who I owe my career trajectory to and who, objectively, I think is the greatest Philippine artist, with Ely as the best songwriter of all time. This was my way of thanking them by upholding their legacy,” she said.
“Their candidness and forthright honesty were a gift. It wasn’t just cathartic for them; it was transformative for me as a filmmaker and audience member. It gave me permission to reflect on my own truths, and I hope it does the same for others,” continued Ventura.
Eraserheads’ Ely Buendia, Raymund Marasigan, Buddy Zabala, and Marcus Adoro made headlines after they were awarded the Gawad Oblation by their alma mater, the University of the Philippines, in August 2024 for their contributions to the local music industry.
The UP president Atty. Angelo Jimenez noted that while the band was the first to be bestowed with the distinction, this doesn’t necessarily mean that celebrities will be next to receive the award.