‘Fatherland’ Director Joel Lamangan on Filmmaking: Entertaining Is Not Enough

For award-winning director Joel Lamangan, making films isn’t just about making people laugh or cry. It’s about showing the truth.

- By Nathalie M. Tomada

“I just would like to point out that films should not only entertain. Films should not only make you laugh and cry. Films should also be able to enlighten, to say things properly. To expose the truth,” he said during the recent presscon for his newest film “Fatherland.”

“Kaya tayo nagiging bayan na ganito, puro na lang entertain-entertain. Akala sa ating lahat na nagtatrabaho sa industriya, hindi tayo seryoso. Kaya hindi tayo sineseryoso. Akala tagapagpaiyak lang tayo, tagapagpatawa. Hindi. Ang pelikula ay dapat ding nagsasabi ng katotohanan sa paligid niya.”

That’s the goal of “Fatherland,” direk Joel’s latest film starring Allen Dizon and Inigo Pascual. The story follows a young Filipino-American man in search of his estranged father in the Philippines — a journey that opens his eyes to the country’s deeper problems.

Aside from Allen and Inigo, the film also stars Cherry Pie Picache, Mercedes Cabral, Richard Yap, Angel Aquino, Jeric Gonzales, Jim Pebanco, Ara Davao, Abed Green, Rico Barrera, Max Eigenmann, Kazel Kinouchi and Bo Bautista.

The veteran filmmaker acknowledged the socio-political undertones of the film.

“Yes, especially on the relationship between the father and the son. The very title of the film is ‘Fatherland.’ It connotes something political already,” he said. “But this is not the kind of politics that you will understand as far as the politics going on now is concerned.