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presents

AMIGO

A film by John Sayles RELEASE DATE: August 19, 2011 (NY, LA, SF, selected additional markets), August 26, 2011 (Expansion) RUNNING TIME: 128 minutes FORMAT: 35mm and Digital (DCP) / 1:85 / Dolby Digital / English, Tagalog, and Spanish w/ English Subtitles RATING: Not rated – appropriate for 13 and up, contains some violence and brief strong language PRESS CONTACT (LA/NATIONAL/FILIPINO): Winston F. Emano, David Magdael and Associates: wemano@tcdm-associates.com, 310.739.0946 Eseel Borlasa, David Magdael and Associates: eborlasa@tcdm-associates.com, 213.624.7827 David Magdael, David Magdael and Associates: dmagdael@tcdm-associates.com, 213.624.7827 PRESS CONTACT (NYC): Emma Griffiths, EG-PR: emma@eg-pr.com, 917-438-5074 DISTRIBUTOR CONTACT: Dylan Marchetti, Variance Films: dylan@variancefilms.com, 212-537-6769 OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.amigomovie.com STILLS AND PRESS NOTES AVAILABLE AT: www.variancefilms.com/amigopress

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SYNOPSIS (FULL) AMIGO, the 17th feature film from writer-director John Sayles, stars Joel Torre as Rafael Dacanay, the mayor of a rural village caught in the murderous crossfire of the Philippine-American War in 1900. When U.S. troops garrison his village, Rafael comes under pressure from the blood-and-guts Colonel Hardacre (Chris Cooper) to collaborate with the U.S. soldiers in their hunt for the Filipino guerillas that occupy the surrounding jungle. But the situation is complex, as Rafaelʼs brother Simón (Ronnie Lazaro) is the head of the local guerillas, and considers any concessions to the Americans to be traitorous. A devious Spanish friar (Yul Vázquez) is charged with translating, but thwarts communication with his spiteful intrigues. A sympathetic American lieutenant (Garret Dillahunt) begins to learn that “hearts and minds” cannot be won at gunpoint. And all the while, Rafael is forced to make the near-impossible, potentially deadly decisions faced by civilians in an occupied country. Friendship and betrayal, romance and heartbreaking violence, AMIGO is a page torn from the forgotten history of U.S. imperialism and a mirror of todayʼs unresolvable conflicts.

SYNOPSIS (SHORT FORM) Acclaimed writer-director John Sayles examines the forgotten history of the Philippine-American War in his new film, AMIGO. When Rafael Dacanayʼs (Joel Torre) rural village in the Philippines is occupied by American troops hunting for Filipino guerillas, he comes under pressure to collaborate from both the blood-and-guts Colonel Hardacre (Chris Cooper) and the head of the local guerillas, his brother Simón (Ronnie Lazaro). Rafael must carefully make the near-impossible, potentially deadly decisions faced by civilians in an occupied country.

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KEY CAST AND CREW:

Rafael Joel Torre

Lieutenant Compton Garret Dillahunt Colonel Hardacre Chris Cooper

Zeke Whatley DJ Qualls Corazón Rio Locsin

Simón Ronnie Lazaro Policarpio Bembol Roco

Padre Hidalgo Yul Vázquez Gil Dane DeHaan

Locsin Art Acuña

Written, Directed, and Edited by John Sayles

Producer

Maggie Renzi

Co-Producers Joel Torre and Mario Ontal

Cinematographer

Lee Briones-Meily

Music Composed by Mason Daring

Production Designer

Rodell Cruz

Costume Designer Gino Gonzales

AMIGO WAS FILMED ENTIRELY ON LOCATION IN THE PHILIPPINES.

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DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT “I am always interested in how people behave in extreme, sometimes impossible situations. It is the essence of drama, and Iʼve explored this kind of crisis before in movies such as Matewan, Lone Star, and Men With Guns. The Philippine-American War has been ignored or forgotten by both sides of the conflict, it is history that needs to be recaptured in the public imagination. AMIGO deals with one of the most common but least-examined aspects of human experience- the story of the people caught in between.”

-John Sayles

“IN SEARCH OF THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN WAR FILM”

Perhaps no armed conflict in the modern era has received less cinematic treatment than the Philippine-American War. When one thinks of the number of movies inspired by individual American gunslingers or gangsters- Jesse James, Billy the Kid, John Dillinger, for example, have graced the screen dozens of times- this dearth seems hard to explain. The Fil-Am war ran ʻofficiallyʼ from 1899 to 1902 (though armed hostilities continued at least till the beginning of WWI) and at least a million Filipinos died violently or through related starvation and disease during its course. When the history of Philippine- American relations is examined, however, this cinematic silence becomes more understandable. The Philippine conflict was not the romantic ʻsplendid little warʼ that Americans were presented in the coverage of their Cuban campaign against the Spanish. By the time hostilities broke out north of Manila in early 1899, both the Hearst and Pulitzer newspapers were in financial trouble, having over-expanded and overspent to increase circulation during the glory days of Teddy Roosevelt at San Juan Hill. The surprising rise of Rooseveltʼs star had effectively blocked the political ambitions of his jealous rival

William Randolph Hearst, leaving ʻboy Willieʼ with no personal agenda at stake in the war in the Pacific. The duplicitous, bait-and-switch nature of the McKinley administrationʼs decision to ʻkeepʼ the Philippines after the Spanish surrender gave rise in the States to the Anti-Imperialist League and much public debate about the morality of the conflict, and none of the superstar correspondents of the day- Richard Harding Davis, Stephen Crane, James Creelman- chose to travel there to immortalize the fight with their prose. With the beginning of the ʻAmerican eraʼ in the Philippines, control of public education in the islands was

taken from the Catholic religious orders and expanded to serve a much larger (and poorer) percentage of the population. The teachers were American, the textbooks were in English, and in the ʻjingoʼ spirit of the day, the uglier aspects of the transition from Spanish to American rule were glossed over or ignored entirely. Generations of Filipino schoolchildren learned of the Treaty of Paris, where the US ʻboughtʼ the Philippines from defeated Spain, as if picking up an option on a pro basketball player, and nothing about the grueling, vicious guerilla war that followed it. Textbooks in America tended to leave the Philippines out entirely.

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Movies were in their infancy in 1899, limited to short ʻviewsʼ which were often projected on the curtain as part of a live vaudeville show. Notable from this era are a handful of ʻactualitiesʼ (weʼd now call them documentaries) that purported to show battle scenes from the early, conventional-war period of the fighting. Advance of the Kansas Volunteers at Caloocan and Capture of the Trenches at Candaba (both 1899) are each about a minute long, depict successful American actions, and were filmed in New Jersey with African-Americans portraying the Philippine ʻinsurrectosʼ. Thomas Edison and his imitators had learned in Cuba how impossible their bulky cameras were to maintain in the tropics, and the

American public had no idea what a Filipino looked like (by the end of the official war, American cartoonists usually drew them as coal-black, frizzy haired savages in grass skirts), so the idea of staging events with bogus stand-ins met little resistance. And then long periods of neglect. By the time the silent movies had grown to feature length, the horrors of the First World War had superseded this colonial adventure in the American mind, and period war films from the new dream factory of Hollywood tended to deal with the earlier dramas of the Civil War, Revolution of 1776, and the endless winning of the West. The Philippine film industry was relatively small at this time, and many of the features backed by wealthy Spaniards who had

remained in-country, and scrupulously avoided subject matter with overtly political content. As the country and the industry democratized (under the watchful American occupiers) and sound was added to the mix, new themes began to be explored. Two Filipino films have been based on the life of Macario Sakay, an early Katipunero who became one of the last violent holdouts for independence, declaring the Tagalog Republic in 1904 and fighting a guerilla war against the Americans in Cavite and Batangas. He was lured out of hiding to negotiate surrender with amnesty, arrested, and hanged by the Americans in 1907. The first, Sakay (1937) directed by Lamberto Avellana and starring Leopoldo Salcedo and Arsenia Francisco, is one of those tantalizing works that may have been lost forever (Iʼve seen a poster but never heard of a print still existing). Itʼs intriguing to wonder what the treatment might have been during the beginning of the Commonwealth period. As period films often tells us as much about the period they were made in as the period they are set in, Raymond Redʼs 1993 Sakay is bound to be a very different movie, both in political awareness and the fact that it is an early Filipino ʻindieʼ made with much passion and little budget. Though director Red has bemoaned the effects of the disparity between his movieʼs ambition and the means he had to make it, this was a production that helped spark a new wave of Filipino filmmakers to try working outside the mainstream system. Pinoy film burst into life at the end of World War Two, developing its own studios and star system in the Hollywood mold, popular entertainment made by and for Filipinos. And though the textbooks maintained the US government-approved version of the Fil-Am war and the revisionist historians of the 60ʼs were not yet active, folk history is hard to suppress. Bayani sa Pasong Tirad (1947), starring Jose Padilla Jr. and Tessie Quintana, eulogized Gregorio del Pilar, the ʻboy generalʼ whose romantic and military

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exploits cry out for the big screen. A much more TV-quickie version of the young heroʼs last sacrifice, Tirad Pass: the Story of General Gregorio del Pilar (1997) was directed by Carlo Caperas and starred Romnick Sarmento as the titular hero and Joel Torre as General Emilio Aguinaldo. By the end of the ʻ50ʼs, taking advantage of the relatively low costs and concentration of English- speaking talent, there was a move to make ʻB-moviesʼ for the American market in the Philippines. One of the first of these was The Day of the Trumpet (1958), produced by Cirio Santiago and directed by the legendary Eddie Romero, and featuring some actual American actors in the featured roles. These were B-movie stalwarts John Agar and Richard Arlen, supported by Filipino star Pancho Magalona, and the movie succeeded in gaining US distribution (as Cavalry Command) in 1963. It concerns a cavalry detachment sent to occupy a village in the boondocks, which do their best to win the hearts and minds of the hostile locals. Romero later broke out of the rut of horror and chicks-in-chains flicks he had become stuck in with his well-received Ganito kami noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon (1976) made solely for a Filipino audience and featuring Christopher de Leon and former Miss Universe Gloria Diaz. De Leon plays a Candide-like village youth sent to the big city of Manila around the turn of the century, who survives the war with both Spain and the Americans to discover something of what it means to be Filipino. Most highly regarded of the Filipino films treating the US war is Peque Gallagaʼs Virgin Forest (1985), which deals with the treacherous capture of the revolutionary Supremo Aguinaldo by American officers and Macabebe renegades. Shot in Atimonan, Quezon, with sensuous cinematography by Conrado Balthazar and music by Jaime Fabregas, the movie blends historical drama with the sexploitation so dominant in Filipino cinema of that era (most likely the condition for getting it produced). Featuring Sarsi Emmanuel as the allegorically and graphically violated virgin, it is a Heart of Darkness-type journey into human perversity and betrayal. Nothing epitomized the hypocrisy of the American campaign than this event that officially ended it, a breach of honor that roused Mark Twain to pen some of his most controversial public essays. The only American film Iʼve encountered that deals with the conflict is The Real Glory (1937). Brought to the screen by manʼs-man director Henry Hathaway, this seems like a spin-off of the better known and more lavishly produced Gunga Din, released in the same year. Set in Mindinao in 1906, it ostensibly deals with the formation of the Philippine Constabulary, with the Americans teaching the good (Christian) natives to defend themselves against the bad (Muslim) natives. It stars Gary Cooper, David Niven (as an American- maybe he was under studio contract) and Broderick Crawford, and was filmed in California with nary a Filipino in the cast. In fact, the evil ʻDatuʼ (equivalent to Italian immigrant Eduardo Cianelliʼs ʻGuruʼ in Gunga Din) is played, with great skill and much make-up, by Vladimir Sokaloff, a veteran of the prestigious Moscow Art Theater. Perhaps the producers, faced with the shortage of exotic settings to place American rather than British soldiers in (the British being the undisputed champions of imperialism) summoned up the forgotten war in desperation. Hollywoodʼs fidelity to historical accuracy is notoriously weak, but film producers assume, correctly, that Americansʼ knowledge of that history is even weaker. Popular movies, for better or worse, often replace recorded facts with a kind of mythic history that people accept (and often prefer) as truth.

-John Sayles

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ABOUT THE PRODUCTION In doing research for his 1991 novel Los Gusanos, John Sayles came across the phrase ʻPhilippine-American Warʼ. Immediately, he was struck by the fact the heʼd never heard it. “When I asked Filipino friends what they knew of the war, they said theyʼd heard of it but that it wasnʼt taught in their schools- which made me suspicious,” said Sayles. “This is a war that the U.S. ʻwonʼ, and we usually celebrate such victories with novels and movies. So far Iʼve only been able to find two American movies dealing with the conflict (both very inaccurately) and there are almost no novels. I got to wonder how a country could go from being overtly anti-imperialist in their stance (our rationale for fighting the Spanish in Cuba) to being proudly and aggressively imperialist (our actions in the Philippines and China) in a matter of months.” The tumultuous period at the turn of the century intrigued Sayles. In addition to Americaʼs seemingly uncharacteristic involvement in the Philippines, back in the U.S. the last nail was being driven into the coffin of the Reconstruction movement for African-Americans- the implementation of Jim Crow laws and the Grandfather Clause (preventing black men from voting) in North Carolina, epitomized by the racial coup in Wilmington, NC. “It was racial and ethnic assumptions of superiority that connected the two events, domestic and international, and I wanted to explore the subject through the lives of characters swept up in the conflicts of the period- this became my novel A Moment in the Sun,” said Sayles. (For more information on A Moment in the Sun, see below). After Sayles finished his first draft of A Moment in the Sun, he returned to the Philippines with Maggie Renzi. They traveled extensively in Luzon (the largest and most populated of the 7,107 islands that make up the Philippines), visiting some of the places heʼd written about but hadnʼt been to. Their host for a large portion of the trip was acclaimed Filipino actor Joel Torre, who theyʼd met via Saylesʼ long-time editing associate, Mario Ontal. Torre is a gigantic star in the Philippines- over his 35 year career, heʼs starred in soap operas (which are much more culturally significant overseas), drama series, feature films, and, as a great example of his status, has opened a successful chain of restaurants, JTʼs Manukan Grille (which, unlike many celebrity restaurants in North America, actually has a great reputation- the chicken inasal is reportedly to die for). Despite Torreʼs success, he has a reputation in the Philippines as an approachable celebrity, one who, when approached at a bar for a quick photo with a fan, is more likely than not to end up buying multiple rounds of drinks for the photographerʼs table. This has won him a legion of admirers and friends across the country, and makes him a particularly qualified tour guide. While on the road together, Sayles, Renzi and Torre talked in great detail about the Filipino film industry. Topics of discussion included the local talent pool, technical capabilities, and what their most ambitious movies cost. Sayles and Renzi realized quickly that “if we kept the production as in-country as possible, we could afford to do a fairly ambitious period film.” Having delved more extensively into the history of the Philippine-American war while doing research for A Moment in the Sun, and having been fascinated by the subject for a number of years, Sayles did not delay, quickly putting together a micro-history that served as a framework for the script. Meanwhile, Torre and Ontal, now acting as Renziʼs co-producers, began putting together the pieces of what would wind up as a nearly all-Filipino crew featuring the best and the brightest of the Philippine film industry.

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It was decided that AMIGO would be shot on the island of Bohol, in early 2010. The suggestion to shoot in Bohol (a smaller island in the Visayas) came from Torre and Ontal- both men were from the

neighboring island of Negros, and knew that Bohol was a laid back, friendly place. Renzi recalls, “upon scouting Bohol, we confirmed their impression, receiving support and assistance every step of the way from both the citizens and local government.” The first person to join Torre and Ontalʼs “all-star” team was production designer Rodell Cruz, who immediately joined Renzi and Sayles in scouting locations. They quickly settled on the town of Toril, a tiny village. In early December 2009, Cruz and his art director Daniel Fernandez brought in a team of carpenters from Manila to begin the construction of 14 bamboo and nipa huts. The team lived with villagers, were fed by the excellent local cooks, and worked in the rain and mud for over a month (working through Christmas). Local craftsmen were enlisted to fill out the work force, and many stayed on throughout the entire production.

John Sayles is well known for his attention to detail, and with only eight weeks of pre-production before the February 2010 shoot, the art department quickly swelled. As the village rose around them, they planted gardens that would mature before the shoot began, while diligently filling the village with antique items that would have been used in 1900. For example, costume designer Gino Gonzales sourced the blue wool for the U.S. Soldiersʼ shirts from Italy- no polyester facsimiles here, Sayles is a stickler for anachronisms. As Renzi and Sayles returned to the States to cast the American actors, back in Manila, actor Ronnie Lazaro signed on as AMIGOʼs casting director, and quickly launched an aggressive talent search throughout the Manila acting community. As Renzi recalls, “Ronnie knows everyone, and anyone he hasnʼt worked with has worked with Joel.” When Sayles and Renzi returned to the Philippines a few weeks later, Lazaro had narrowed the search to 2-3 actors for each Tagalog-speaking role. Most of the Tagalog-speaking roles were cast from these initial auditions in Manila, but Sayles and Renzi have a tradition of casting local, “new” actors in their films, and AMIGO is no exception. With three major roles for teenagers left to fill, and numerous local extras needed, Toril native Procopio “Cooper” Resobal was brought on as location casting director, and scoured local theatre troupes and surrounding villages for the best young actors, sometimes holding “American Idol”-style casting calls in local barangay halls. Unfamiliar with the process of filming at first, many of the local AMIGO cast and extras quickly took a shine to it, and many of them have formed the BACT, (the Baryo Amigo Community Theater), which is currently touring and performing across Bohol. The U.S. cast came to the Philippines almost entirely from New York or Los Angeles, as did Yul Vázquez, who had the herculean task of speaking many of his lines in Tagalog. The background U.S. soldiers were largely the sons of Saylesʼ and Renziʼs personal friends, who were up for a bit of adventure in exchange for room and board and a tiny per diem- not terribly unlike many of the original soldiers. Nearly all of the crew was from the Philippines- with a few exceptions. Sync sound (filming picture and

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recording sound simultaneously) is not the norm in the Philippines, with most performances being dubbed/ADR-ed in post, so following the advice of Torre and Ontal, Sayles and Renzi brought their sound team, Judy Karp and Jaime Reyes, from the U.S. The film shot for six weeks, and was finished on time and on budget. Renzi remarked, “John has never been happier on a set, one that was designed, built, and run entirely by Filipinos.” Sayles edited the movie in Bohol and then, keeping things in the Philippines, returned to Luzon to do post-production sound and picture in Quezon City and Makati. With a largely Filipino cast, a nearly entirely Filipino crew, and a story that delves into a forgotten chapter in the history of the relationship between the Philippines and the United States, the Filipino film industry considers AMIGO one of their own- nominating the film for ten Gawad Urians (the Filipino Film Criticʼs Association awards). Audiences in the Philippines have followed, embracing the film with a “home-team” fervor. In February and March 2011, Sayles and Renzi returned to the Philippines to take AMIGO on tour (“lakbay”), holding screenings in schools, villages, and small towns across the country. The reception was spectacular- the Philippine Secretary of Education, Bro. Armin Luistra, viewed and endorsed the film, stating, “I commend the producers of AMIGO for portraying the real life drama of ordinary Filipinos who found themselves caught in the midst of the Fil-Am war. The inner struggle of the combatants and their families to resolve a societal dilemma is poignantly captured on reel even as the sordid realities of war unfold in a barrio setting. There are many fresh insights and lessons to pick up from the film for anyone who dares to live lifeʼs questions today.” In keeping with Sayles and Renziʼs independent traditions, the Philippines release of Amigo will be handled by Origin8, a collective of eight young Filipino filmmakers who will handle the marketing and distribution when the film releases there in July 2011, one month before the North American release.

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ABOUT THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN WAR

AMIGO is set in a very specific time and place- northern Luzon (the largest island in the Philippines) in the year 1900. The situation we find in the movie is the result of a series of events: Tensions between Filipinos and their Spanish colonial rulers had been deteriorating for decades. The Philippines had become a dumping ground for the least effective and most opportunistic Spanish priests and bureaucrats, just as a generation of very well-educated Filipinos (often called ʻillustradosʼ) came ready to take their rightful place in the hierarchy of the Church and the government. They were denied entry to these positions on grounds that were clearly racist and imperialist. At the same time, both Church and government were squeezing the poorer rural people, stealing their land, imposing high taxes and returning little in the way of services, and forcing them to work in the polo, an imposed, unpaid period of work, every year. The laboring and educated classes finally came together in a revolt against Spanish rule in 1896, with Andres Bonifacio leading Filipinos in tearing up their cedulas (government required identity papers, needed to travel even short distances) and in an armed rebellion. An early factional battle between Bonifacio and the Cavite native Emilio Aguinaldo resulted in Bonifacioʼs execution and Aguinaldo assuming command as supremo of all revolutionary forces. Despite regional and personal rivalries, the Filipinos were able to fight the better armed Spanish forces (and their trained Filipino troops) to something akin to a “draw”, agreeing on the truce of Biak na Bato. Aguinaldo and his most important followers accepted a sum of money to call off the fight and go into exile (mostly in Hong Kong) and the Spanish colonial government agreed to implement certain reforms. Neither side was confident the other would uphold the bargain. In 1898, partly due to the machinations of a ʻyellow pressʼ seeking to sell newspapers by provoking a war, the United States declared war on Spain, vowing to drive them out of their last major colony in the

Western hemisphere, Cuba. In the first violent act of that war, the American fleet under Admiral Thomas Dewey cornered the Spanish Pacific fleet in the Battle of Manila Bay, sinking most of the ships in less than an hour. Since Manila was the main port of entry for Spanish soldiers and supplies, the Philippine insurrectos (revolutionaries) saw the perfect opportunity to renew their fight. Encouraged and armed by the Americans, Emilio Aguinaldo and his ever-growing army of Filipinos quickly defeated the Spanish forces all over Luzon and other islands, and the imperialists retreated back into the walled city of Manila. The Americans quickly defeated the Spanish in Cuba. But in the debate before their war with Spain was declared, a Congressional bill

was passed forbidding the US to annex Cuba as a territory. Senator Teller, sponsor of the legislation, may have been more concerned about Cuban cane sugar ruining the market for the beet sugar

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produced in his home state of Colorado than the rights of the Cubans to govern themselves, but the jingos and expansionists had been stopped. However, other Spanish possessions such as Guam, Puerto Rico and the Philippines were not covered in the bill (quite possibly because Teller and his fellow Congressmen had never heard of them) and as the pressure to ʻgainʼ something in the war mounted, eyes began turning towards the Philippines. When American ground forces, with their naval support and artillery, arrived in Luzon, a secret deal was struck with the Spanish, and in a one-day ʻmock battleʼ the American forces marched through Filipino trench positions and into the walled city of Manila, accepting the Spanish surrender and raising the Stars and Stripes- not the Philippine Republicʼs new flag- over the city. Armed Filipinos were warned to stay out of the Intramuros. Aguinaldo and his followers, though suspicious, at first believed that the Americans intended to act as allies and leave the island to its people. A congress met in Malolos, a constitution was drawn up, a government was formed- and the first Philippine Republic came into existence. But the Americans had a different idea. Negotiating with the Spanish, and hoping to put a veneer of legality on a military takeover, they ʻboughtʼ the islands from Spain for twenty million dollars, sealing the deal with the Treaty of Paris. The debate in the U.S. over ratification of the treaty was split between the ʻanti-Imperialistsʼ: “This Treaty will make us a vulgar, commonplace empire, controlling subject races and vassal states, in which one class must forever rule and other classes must forever obey.”

-Senator George Frisbie Hoar and the ʻexpansionistsʼ: “Providence has given the United States the duty of extending Christian civilization. We come as ministering angels, not despots.”

-Senator Knute Nelson By early 1899 relations between American and Filipino troops facing each other (in a ring around Manila) had deteriorated, and finally a shooting war broke out between them (breaking out, not coincidentally, the day before the American Congress was set to vote on ratification of the Treaty with Spain and what to ʻdoʼ with the liberated islands). In the initial months of the war, the Filipinos tried to overrun the Americans with conventional tactics and sheer numbers, but were no match to the superior weaponry and training of

the Americans (the Filipinos, among other things, had almost no artillery). Suffering huge casualties, by 1900 Aguinaldo had switched to guerilla tactics, ambushing and retreating both north and south of Manila as the Americans pressed forward. By 1901, when AMIGO takes place, the Americans had sent two flying columns of troops north, to try to capture Aguinaldo himself and force him to declare the war over and concede the colonization of the Philippines. As the American forces gained ground, they often garrisoned the

towns they had taken, leaving small forces to guard them against a return by the elusive guerilla bands.

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The heads of these small towns and cities were put in an extremely difficult situation- they had to serve their constituents and keep them safe, which meant keeping the Americans happy, but they also had to, sometimes out of choice and often not, help smuggle food and information to the nearby rebel forces in the surrounding jungle- an impossible job. Hundreds were accused of betrayal by one side or the other (often both) and executed. The parallels to recent American military activities are inescapable, and do not stop there- the cover of a 1902 copy of LIFE yielded the depiction of a tactic American soldiers learned from the Macabebes, an ethnic group hostile to the Tagalog majority, called the “water cure”:

[The “water cure”] is a “treatment” that consisted of spread-eagling a prisoner on his back, forcing his mouth open with a bamboo stick and pouring gallons of water down his throat. Helpless, the insurrecto was pumped with water until his stomach was near the bursting point. Then he was questioned. If he refused to answer — which happened surprisingly often — an American soldier stood or kneeled on is belly, forcing the water out. One report by a U.S. soldier told how “a good heavy man” jumped on a prisonerʼs belly “sending a gush of water from his mouth into the air as high as six feet.” This cure was repeated until the prisoner talked or died. Roughly half the insurrectos given the cure survived. How many Filipinos were killed by torture is not known, but the extent of the practice is well documented by a letter sent home by a soldier who bragged of inflicting the water cure on 160 Filipinos, 134 of whom died.

-From “Destroy All Goo-Goos: Americaʼs Forgotten War” by Thomas Metzer, Loompanics 1999

Eventually General Aguinaldo and the other republican military leaders were captured or surrendered, and the United States annexed the Philippines (as well as Guam and Puerto Rico) as a territory. Though it must be noted that they brought a much more democratic style of education to the islands, they also controlled the writing of history, and the story of the Philippine Republic and its desperate struggle to survive was suppressed. Generations of Filipinos grew up without knowing of the role of their own countrymen in the fight for independence. Never comfortable with the identity or responsibilities of imperialism, Americans also were taught little of the war, and it remains one of the least known and dramatized (especially in movies) conflicts in U.S. history. Soldiers who volunteered to ʻfree the Cuban people from oppressionʼ found themselves fighting against Filipinos to deny them of freedom- a change of purpose that puzzled and dismayed more than a few. The Philippines and the United States now share a great deal of history and culture, but until recently the beginnings of that long, complex relationship was virtually unexplored. As the United Statesʼ first military foray beyond the Americas as a world power, the Philippine-American war is worthy of closer examination.

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ABOUT ‘A MOMENT IN THE SUN’

John Saylesʼ new novel A Moment in the Sun was released on May 10, 2011 by McSweeneyʼs, Dave Eggersʼ publishing company. SYNOPSIS (Courtesy of McSweeneyʼs):

It’s 1897. Gold has been discovered in the Yukon. New York is under the sway of Hearst and Pulitzer. And in a few months, an American battleship will explode in a Cuban harbor, plunging the U.S. into war. This is the unforgettable story of that extraordinary moment: the turn of the twentieth century, as seen by one of the greatest storytellers of our time. Spanning five years and half a dozen countries, A Moment in the Sun takes the whole era in its sights—from the white-racist coup in Wilmington, North Carolina, to the first stirrings of the motion-picture industry, to the bloody dawn of U.S. interventionism in Cuba and the Philippines. The result of years of writing and research, the book is built on the voices of a breathtaking range of men and women—Hod Brackenridge, a gold-chaser turned Army recruit; Royal Scott, an African American infantryman whose life outside the military has been destroyed; Diosdado Concepción, a Filipino insurgent preparing to fight against his country’s new colonizers; and more than a dozen others, Mark Twain, Damon Runyon, and President William McKinley’s assassin among them. Shot through with a lyrical intensity and stunning detail that recall Doctorow and Deadwood both, this is a story as big as its subject: history rediscovered through the lives of the people who made it happen. John Sayles’s previous novels include Pride of the Bimbos, Los Gusanos, and the National Book Award-nominated Union Dues. He has directed seventeen feature films, including Matewan, Lone Star, and Eight Men Out, and received a John Steinbeck Award, a John Cassavetes Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Writer’s Guild of America, and two Academy Award nominations.

For more information on A Moment in the Sun, please contact Juliet Litman of McSweeneyʼs, at press@mcsweeneys.net.

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CAST BIOGRAPHIES JOEL TORRE (Rafael Dacanay) All Rafael Dacanay ever wanted was to be the cabeza del barrio (mayor) of San Isidro. His wife is Corazòn, and his son is Joaquinito. Joel Torre is one of the most beloved actors in the Philippines. In a career spanning 42 years, he always plays good guys, and his countrymen love him. Torre was Co-producer on AMIGO, and the respect and affection that his colleagues and his fans have for him opened doors for the production at every stage. Joel Rizalino De Leon Torre began acting in community theater in his native Bacolod, Negros Oriental at the age of 7. He joined the movies in 1982 immediately after graduating from De Lasalle University, when he appeared in “Oro Plata Mata,” Peque Gallegaʼs brooding tale of decadence and revolution. The film was a critical and commercial success and it brought attention of the industry to the young actor in his first starring role. Since then, Joel has appeared in over one hundred movies, both mainstream and independent, as well as numerous television shows and TV series. Among the many nominations and acting awards Torre has received: 1976 - Best Supporting Actor as Young Martin in the play "The Royal Hunt of the Sun" 1986 - Best Actor for the film "Unfaithful Wife" 1997 - Best Supporting Actor for the film Mumbaki 2001 - Best Supporting Actor for the film Bayaning Third World for his role as Jose Rizal (after whom he is named) 2002 - Best Actor for the film Batang West Side, also won as Best Actor for the same movie in the Brussels International Film Festival and CineManila 2007 - Best Actor in the Pasado Award for the film Ataul for Rent 2008 - Best Supporting Actor for Cinema One for the film Yanggaw He can be seen in the movie Surviving Evil, a joint British and South African production, and the upcoming French Movie Identitie Exchange. He was in the Off-Broadway Production of Dogeaters in The Joseph Papp Public Theater in New York. Aside from acting, Joel has also directed for theater and television. He also owns a very popular restaurant, JT's Manukan Grille, which has four branches in the Philippines. CHRIS COOPER (Col. Hardacre) Colonel Hardacre is a lifer in the US Army. One of the most respected character actors of our time, Chris Cooper was recognized in 2003 with an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of ʻJohn Larocheʼ in Columbia Pictures Adaptation, written by Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich) and directed by Spike Jonze. Cooper was also recognized for his performance in this film by numerous critics associations including the Broadcast Film Critics, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the Toronto Film Critics Association. Cooper will next be seen in the Walt Disney Picturesʼ film The Muppets, as the villain ʻTex Richman.ʼ

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The 2011 incarnation of The Muppets follows ʻKermit the Frogʼ and his Muppet friends as they try to save their old theater. The Muppets is directed by James Bobin and will be released on November 23rd, 2011. Most recently, Cooper was seen in The Company Men with Ben Affleck, Kevin Costner and Tommy Lee Jones. Written and directed by John Wells, The Company Men centered on three men who were struggling to survive corporate downsizing. The Company Men premiered in the US at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and was released in limited release in December 2010 and wide release in January 2011. Also in 2010, Cooper co-starred in Julie Taymor's version of The Tempest, alongside Djimon Hounsou and Helen Mirren, as ʻAntonio.ʼ In Taymorʼs screenplay, ʻProsperoʼ has been switched to ʻProspera,ʼ going back to the 16th century where women who practiced the magical arts of alchemy were often convicted of witchcraft. In Taymor's version, ʻProsperaʼ is usurped by her brother, ʻAntonio,ʼ and sent off with her four-year-old daughter on a ship that takes them to an island with no society, where a power struggle between intellect and brawn ensues. The Tempest was released in December 2010. In addition to The Tempest, Cooper was last seen in the Warner Bros. feature film The Town alongside Ben Affleck, Blake Lively, Jeremy Renner and Rebecca Hall. The Town premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2010. Also in 2010, Cooper appeared in Allen Coulterʼs romantic drama Remember Me, with Robert Pattinson, Pierce Brosnan and Emilie de Ravin. Remember Me” revolves around two lovers whose newfound relationship is threatened as they try to cope with their respective family tragedies. This film was released nationwide on March 12, 2010 by Summit Entertainment. In October 2009, Cooper was featured in the drama New York, I Love You, a collaboration of vignettes created by some of today's most imaginative filmmakers including Shekhar Kapur, Joshua Marston, Brett Ratner and Allen Hughes. Cooper starred alongside Robin Wright Penn, Ethan Hawke and Maggie Q in a storyline written and directed by Yvan Attal. Also in October 2009, Cooper voiced ʻDouglasʼ in the big screen adaptation of Maurice Sendakʼs classic childrenʼs story Where the Wild Things Are, directed by Spike Jonze, with a screenplay by Dave Eggers. In 2007 Cooper starred alongside Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, and Jason Bateman in the Universal film The Kingdom. Directed by Peter Berg, “The Kingdom” tells the story of a team of U.S. government agents who are sent to investigate the bombing of an American facility in the Middle East. In the fall of 2007, Cooper starred with Pierce Brosnan, Patricia Clarkson, and Rachel McAdams in Married Life for Sony Classics, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was also accepted into the New York Film Festival. Earlier in 2007, Cooper starred in the Universal Pictures film Breach, playing the title role of ʻRobert Hanssen,ʼ a renowned operative for the FBI who was found guilty of spying for the Russians. Cooper received extraordinary praise from movie critics around the country for his deft performance. The film was directed by Billy Ray (Shattered Glass) and co-starred Ryan Phillipe. In 2006, Cooper had strong supporting roles in Sony Classicsʼ Capote, Universalʼs Jarhead, for director Sam Mendes, and Warner Bros.ʼ Syriana, for writer and director Stephen Gaghan. In 2005, Cooper re-teamed with director and friend John Sayles in Newmarket Films' Silver City, a

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political drama and murder mystery which chronicled the story of a small town in Colorado and the events leading up to a local election. The impressive cast included Maria Bello, Thora Birch, Richard Dreyfuss, Tim Roth, Daryl Hannah and Billy Zane. The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. In 2003, Cooper starred in the Universal Pictures film, Seabiscuit based on the best-selling novel. Cooper was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild award for his portrayal of Seabiscuitʼs trainer, ʻTom Smith.ʼ Seabiscuit was directed by Gary Ross and also starred Tobey Macguire and Jeff Bridges. In the same year, Cooper was nominated for an Emmy Award for his supporting performance in the HBO film My House In Umbria starring Maggie Smith. In 1999 Cooper received a Screen Actorʼs Guild Award for his supporting performance alongside Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening in Dreamworksʼ Academy Award winning film, American Beauty. In a stunning and dramatic display, Cooper portrayed a stern ex-Marine Colonel who persistently monitored his sonʼs every move. In 1999, Cooper starred as the father of an amateur rocket enthusiast in the acclaimed coming-of-age drama October Sky, which was screened at the 1999 Venice and Deauville Film Festivals with great notice. He had previously earned a Best Actor nomination in 1997 from the Independent Spirit Awards for his work in John Saylesʼ Lone Star. Nearly a decade earlier, Cooper made his feature film debut in Saylesʼ Matewan. Among his film credits are Robert Redfordʼs The Horse Whisperer, Great Expectations, A Time to Kill, Money Train, This Boyʼs Life, Guilty by Suspicion and City of Hope. On the small screen, he has had roles in a number of longform projects, including the miniseries “Lonesome Dove,” and “Return to Lonesome Dove.” He starred in HBOʼs “Breast Men,” and includes among his other credits “Alone,” “One More Mountain,” “Ned Blessing,” “Bed of Lies,” “Darrow,” “In Broad Daylight,” “ A Little Piece of Sunshine,” “Law and Order” and “Journey to Genius.” Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Cooper attended the University Of Missouri School Of Drama and started his professional career on the New York stage. His theater credits include Of the Fields Lately on Broadway, The Ballad of Soapy Smith and A Different Moon. Cooper resides in Massachusetts with his wife. DANE DeHAAN (Gil) Gil is a young volunteer in the US Army. He has a crush on Azalea. Just three years into his professional career, Dane DeHaan has wasted no time establishing himself as one of the industry’s fastest rising stars. Dane is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Jesse on HBO’s Golden Globe winning series In Treatment. Joining Gabriel Byrne, Debra Winger, and Amy Ryan, his performance was lauded as a “revelatory breakthrough” by Variety, “brilliant” by the Chicago Sun Times, as well as the season’s “most compelling client” by Entertainment Weekly. DeHaan was just selected by 20th Century Fox to headline the supernatural drama Chronicle. The film follows three teens who develop superpowers and is set for wide release in early 2012. Also set to hit theaters within the next year is award winning director John Hillcoat’s gritty moonshiner film The Wettest County in which Dane stars alongside Shia Labeouf, Tom Hardy, Guy Pearce, Gary Oldman,

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and Mia Wasikowska. Dane began his film career under the direction of two time Oscar Nominee John Sayles, in his latest feature Amigo. Last year, Dane was awarded an Obie Award (Off-Broadway’s Highest Honor) for “a performance so honest it was utterly disarming” in Rattlestick Theatre’s production of The Aliens by Annie Baker. The play was also given the prestigious honor of “Play of the Year” by The New York Times. A graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Dane currently resides in Los Angeles. GARRET DILLAHUNT (Lt. Compton) Lt. Compton is a volunteer in the US Army, occupying the Philippines. It is rare to find an actor who is both a leading man and character actor who can morph effortlessly from role to role. Garret Dillahunt possesses a resume that displays an enviable diversity. Born in California and raised in Washington State, he studied Journalism at the University of Washington and went on to earn his MFA at New York University's renowned graduate acting program. In the months before AMIGO began filming, Garret was in Ontario starring in Ryan Redfordʼs directing debut, Oliver Sherman, playing the title role opposite Molly Parker and Donal Logue. He was also seen in Winter's Bone, a film which was the winner of multiple awards in 2010 and received numerous Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture), as well as the thriller, Burning Bright opposite Brianna Evigan. In November 2009 he co-starred in the Cormac McCarthy novel turned film The Road, with Viggo Mortensen and Charlize Theron. Garret portrays the leader of the gang that terrorizes the son and father on their post apocalyptic journey. He recently added another leading role to his resume when he starred as the infamous Krug in Wes Cravenʼs feature Last House on the Left, and had the distinction of being in the Coen Brothers Oscar-winning drama No Country for Old Men (Paramount Classics) opposite Tommy Lee Jones. Dillahunt portrayed the inexperienced Deputy Wendell, and provided some much-needed comic relief in the film. That same year, he impressed in Warner Brothers' The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, prompting star Brad Pitt to dub him the "First of the Plan B players." Dillahunt portrayed Ed Miller, a James gang member--a simple, brutal but loyal man who suffers the wrath of his boss' paranoia. Dillahunt is probably best known for his work on the critically acclaimed HBO series "Deadwood" where he portrayed two entirely different characters--the assassin Jack McCall and the complex and deadly Francis Wolcott. Recognizing Dillahunt's talent in his first incarnation, executive producer/writer David Milch created a second character for him. Currently he stars as Burt Chance in FOX's hit comedy Raising Hope. The mercurial actor also co-starred in another HBO series from David Milch, John From Cincinnati, played dual roles as the terminator Cromartie in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, portrayed a very accessible Jesus Christ in the controversial NBC series Book of Daniel and has had recurring roles on ER, USA Network's The 4400, F/Xʼs Damages, and NBC's Life, among others. Previously, he garnered attention from the controversial Sundance Grand Jury prize-winning The Believer, and the Oscar-nominated short, "By Courier." Dillahunt has also guest starred in many TV series, most recently Lie To Me, Law & Order SVU, Criminal Minds, Burn Notice and White Collar.

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He has an outstanding theatrical resume as well, having performed extensively on and off Broadway, and at such respected theater companies as Steppenwolf, ACT San Francisco, Seattle Rep, Huntington Stage, Williamstown, and the Berkshire Theater Festival. He resides in both Los Angeles and New York. RIO LOCSIN (Corazón) Corazón is the devout wife of the cabeza, Rafael Dacanay and the mother of rebellious Joaquinto. Rio Locsin has been acting since 1978 when her mother, a former starlet under contract with Premiere Pictures, pressed her into show business. She was discovered by a family friend, Dr. Rey Dela Cruz, when she was just 14 years old. Because of her young age, they had to wait two years before she was formally launched in the movie, Disgrasyada (“Disgraced”), directed by Elwood Perez under Regal Films. The film stirred a great deal of controversy because Rio was only 16, and the movie was labeled as “too sensual”. Disgrasyada is considered to have started the “Bold Movie” trend in Philippine cinema. Locsin continued to work in the genre, but eventually left those films behind when she began to work on the stage and with the Philippines finest film directors. Some of these signature Filipino films are Manila by Night/City After Dark by Ishmael Bernal and Ina, Kapatid, Anak (“Mother, Sister, Daughter”) by Lino Brocka. These movies earned her several acting nominations by the critics. She has appeared in about 80 films and is a staple player in Philippine soap operas. She has played Joel Torreʼs wife more than a few times. RONNIE LAZARO (Simón) Simón is the leader of the local guerilla force, father of Eloy, and brother of Rafael Dacanay. Ronnie Lazaro is one of the most admired character actors in the Philippines. His performances have set a standard for anguish, notably in Raymond Redʼs Palme DʼOr winning short, Anino, where Ronnie plays the destitute photographer. He has been nominated 9 times for Best Supporting Actor and twice for Best Actor (Ebolusyon and Boatman). In 2009 he won the Gawad Urian for Best Actor for the portrayal of a troubled father in the multi-award winner Yanggaw directed by Richard Somes. He has appeared in several foreign films, including French, Japanese and American productions. Lazaro was recognized with the Dove Award for his work in the soap opera Kamada, and for Ana Luna. He recently worked on the 10-hour saga, director Lav Diazʼs Heremias, which screened at the 23rd Turin Film Festival. Outside of his work as an actor, he has worked as a Production Designer (Manila by Night/City After Dark by Ishmael Bernal), and as a director and producer in the theater. He taught acting workshops at De La Salle and Anteneo Universities in Manila. Lazaro is also an accomplished photographer, whose work has been shown in the Museo de Cárcel Real and at the Museo Perez Commendador, Leroux. DJ QUALLS (Zeke Whatley) Zeke is the Signal Corpsman assigned to the garrison of the US Army in San Isidro. DJ Qualls continues to build an interesting career for himself in a myriad of film and television roles.

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This summer, he can be seen starring alongside Alfre Woodward and Jason Lee in the second season of TNTʼs police drama Memphis Beat, exec produced by George Clooney. The story follows Memphis cop Dwight Hendricks (Lee), who moonlights as an Elvis impersonator and lives with his mother. Qualls will play “Sutton,” Hendricksʼ klutzy protégé. Other movie credits include his role opposite Terrence Howard in the critically acclaimed Hustle and Flow. Qualls played Shelby, the young white guy with serious musical talent who helps in creating Djay's (Howard) new music career. He was also recently seen playing the role of Corey in the independent film Little Athens, a drama about the unfortunate lives of several small town youth, as well as I'm Reed Fish, a drama which also stars Alexis Bledel and Jay Baruchel focusing on the lives of three residents of the same town. In 2003, DJ joined Hilary Swank and Aaron Eckhardt in The Core for Paramount Pictures. This action-adventure/ sci-fi film had DJ playing "Rat," a computer hacker who helps save the world. Prior to “The Core,” Qualls starred in Revolution Studio's The New Guy, a script written specifically with him in mind. Directed by There's Something About Mary co-writer Ed Decter, the story centers around a nerdy high school senior (Qualls) who gets himself expelled so that he can attend the town's rival high school and reinvent himself as "cool." Also in the can for DJ is Sony Screen Gems' Lone Star State of Mind, opposite Joshua Jackson and Jaime King. Set in Texas, this comedy is about a young couple fighting to get out of the state. Along the way things go awry when Qualls, who plays Junior, robs a pizza delivery boy who just happens to be a mobster. In addition, Qualls co-produced and starred in the Lions Gate film Comic Book Villains, a dark comedy about the comic book industry and rival comic book stores. He stars opposite Donal Logue, Michael Rapaport, Danny Masterson and Cary Elwes. DJ can also be seen in the Lions Gate film Chasing Holden. Qualls plays Neil, a student who is assigned to answer the question, "What happens to Holden Caulfield?" While searching for answers about this main character in "Catcher in the Rye," he discovers unanswered questions about his own life. Qualls is perhaps best known for his role as the geeky Kyle in Dreamworks' smash hit, Road Trip. DJ received much praise for his portrayal as the studious member of the road trip gang. He has since added a great list of credits to his name. Other film credits include All About Steve, Delta Farce, Big Trouble, Cherry Falls and Mama Flora's Family. His television credits include: Criminal Minds, Lost, Monk, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Scrubs, My Name is Earl and Breaking Bad. DJ grew up in a small town in middle Tennessee and is one of five children. After studying at the University of London, he returned to Tennessee and began a series of odd jobs before performing in local theatre and later being discovered by photographers David Chappelle and Steven Kline. This led to a lucrative career modeling for Prada, as well as many other advertising/editorial campaigns. He splits his time between Los Angeles and Tennessee. He is proud to be a cancer survivor and an advocate for cancer awareness and research. BEMBOL ROCO (Policarpio) Policarpio is with the guerillas, fighting first against the Spanish colonizers and now against the US occupation.

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A great actor in all media, Bembolʼs breakthrough film was Maynila sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag, Lina Brockaʼs opus. His role of Julio Madiaga earned him his first acting award. He crossed over to the international scene with The Year of Living Dangerously with Mel Gibson. Other films include Fight for Us, Gumapang ka sa Lusak, and Sa Piling ng mga Sugapa, to name just a few. Bembol is no stranger to the stage: years ago he was part of Hanngan Dito Lamang at Maraming Salamat Po, Mga Ama, Mga Anak, and Juan de la Cruz. After a long period away, Bembol has recently gone back to the stage with Dong-Ao at Cultural Center of the Philippines and Noli at Fili Dekada 2000. He has a band named after him, The Bembol Rockers. YUL VÁZQUEZ (Padre Hidalgo) Padre Hidalgo is an Augustinian Recollect Friar and a citizen of Spain. Yul Vazquez is currently starring on Broadway in the Tony nominated The Motherf**cker with the Hat opposite Chris Rock, Bobby Cannavale, Annabella Sciorra and Elizabeth Rodriguez. He is currently nominated for a Tony Award, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award for “Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play" for his portrayal of the eccentric ʻCousin Julio.ʼ Before the release of AMIGO, Vázquez will next be seen in the upcoming Salvation Boulevard opposite Jennifer Connolly, Pierce Brosnan, Marisa Tomei and Greg Kinnear. Based on the book by Larry Beinhart (Wag the Dog), the comedic thriller is set in the world of mega-churches, in which a former Deadhead-turned-born-again-Christian finds himself on the run from fundamentalist members of his church who will do anything to protect their larger-than-life pastor. The film is slated for release July 15, 2011. Vázquez has appeared in over 30 films, working with directors such as Ridley Scott, Steven Soderbergh, and Steven Spielberg. Other film credits include The A-Team opposite Bradley Cooper and Liam Neeson, Little Fockers with Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller, Ridley Scottʼs American Gangster alongside Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington (a 2008 SAG nominee for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture), Steven Spielbergʼs War of the Worlds, opposite Tom Cruise, Bad Boys II, opposite Martin Lawrence and Will Smith, Runaway Bride, opposite Julia Roberts and Nick of Time opposite Johnny Depp. He reunited with director Steven Soderbergh to star opposite Benicio Del Toro in Che. Soderbergh first cast him in Traffic, for which he and his fellow cast members won the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. He has had numerous roles on some of televisionʼs most popular shows. From his recurring character ʻBob,ʼ the “angry gay Puerto Rican,” on Seinfeld, to one of Samanthaʼs love interests on HBOʼs Sex and the City, to 'Rueben the Cuban' on HBOʼs The Sopranos. Other television credits include Law & Order: SVU (NBC) and Fringe (Fox). Seamlessly moving between film, television and stage, Vázquez is co-artistic director and a founding member of the LAByrinth Theatre Company. Theater credits include The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (The Public Theater) opposite Sam Rockwell, directed by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, The Stendhal Syndrome (Primary Stages) with Isabella Rossellini and Richard Thomas, and The Floating Island Plays (Mark Taper Forum), to name a few.

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CREW BIOGRAPHIES JOHN SAYLES (Writer/Editor/Director) John Sayles likes to be known as a storyteller. He is a director of 17 films, all of which he has also written, and most of which he has edited. He writes fiction and has published several novels and collections of short stories. His book about the making of Matewan, “Thinking in Pictures” is taught in film classes and has never been out of print. His new novel “A Moment in the Sun”, set around 1900, substantially in the Philippines, was published by McSweeneyʼs in May 2011. Sayles supports his directing career as a “writer for hire” in Hollywood. His work is often uncredited, but recently he wrote and received credit on The Spiderwick Chronicles. Currently he is writing about Anthony Kiedis, Russian spies, and the Battle of Cumorrah. He is one of the godfathers- or grandfathers- of the US independent film movement and has been nominated for numerous awards. He lives with his producing partner of many years, Maggie Renzi, in upstate New York. FILMOGRAPHY AS DIRECTOR: Return of the Secaucus 7 (1979) Lianna (1982) Baby, Itʼs You (1983) The Brother From Another Planet (1985) Matewan (1987) Eight Men Out (1988) City of Hope (1990) Passion Fish (1992) The Secret of Roan Inish (1994) Lone Star (1996) Men With Guns (Hombres Armados) (1997) Limbo (1999) Sunshine State (2002) Casa de los Babys (2003) Silver City (2004) Honeydripper (2007) Amigo (2011) MAGGIE RENZI (Producer) Maggie Renzi has been John Saylesʼ creative partner since 1978 and she has produced nearly all of his movies. She has also acted in many of them. Renzi and Sayles were students together at Williams College in the early 1970s, and have been together since 1973. Before becoming a full-time producer Renzi had worked as a bookstore clerk, a pediatric receptionist, a substitute teacher, a casting assistant, a talent agentʼs assistant, and for two years as a salad chef in Southern California. She began her acting career as a child at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, where she continued to perform into her twenties. Renzi began her professional association with Sayles when she played a leading role in his first film, The Return of the Secaucus 7, where she was also Unit Manager and Assistant Editor. For John Sayles, Maggie Renzi produced Lianna, The Brother from Another Planet, Matewan, City of Hope, Passion Fish, The Secret of Roan Inish, Lone Star, Men With Guns, Limbo, Sunshine State,

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Silver City, Honeydripper, and Amigo. She produced many of these films with either Sarah Green or Peggy Rajski. Renzi produced Karyn Kusamaʼs Girlfight and is Executive Producer with Sayles on Alejandro Springallʼs movie, entitled Morirse Esta en Hebreu / My Mexican Shivah. She also produced three music videos for Bruce Springsteen: “Born in the USA”, “Iʼm on Fire”, and “Glory Days”. MARIO ONTAL (Co-Producer/Associate Editor) Mario Ontal joined John Saylesʼ editing room in 1995 as Assistant Editor. Since then he has worked as Assistant or Associate Editor on all of Sayles films, as well as working as an editor on films by other independent directors. A boyhood friend of Joel Torre, Mario formed Aton Productions with Joel expressly to produce AMIGO in his native Philippines. Mario is married to Editor Plummy Tucker, with whom he shared editing rooms on many John Sayles films. LEE BRIONES-MEILY (Cinematographer) Lee Briones-Meily began her career as a TV commercial cinematographer in 1996. Two years later, she shot her first feature, Jeffrey Jeturianʼs Sana Pag-Ibig na (May This be Love). Since then, she has been very much in demand as a cinematographer for both mainstream and indie films. Her work has been presented in film festivals all over the world, including Baler, which was exhibited at the MoMA during the Indio Bravo Film Festival. She has shot projects all over Asia and the United States and has won all the major film awards for cinematography granted in the Philippines. Briones-Meily is also a mother and a Reiki master. She looks forward to spending more time working in New York. RODELL CRUZ (Production Designer) While pursuing a university degree as a civil engineer, Rodell Cruz was mostly occupied with his passion for drawing, painting and photography. In 1982, maverick Filipino film director Peque Gallaga gave Cruz, the youngest member of the Production Designers Guild at the time, the daunting task of designing his magnum opus, Oro, Plata, Mata, produced by ECP (the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines). Cruz (with Don Escudero as co-designer) went on to win numerous industry and critics awards for his collaboration with Gallaga. Eventually, Cruz worked as Art Director under Production Designer Bruno Rubeo for two Oliver Stone films shot in the Philippines- Platoon in 1986 and Born on the Fourth of July in 1989. A mini-series project about the toppling of the Marcos regime, A Dangerous Life, directed by Robert Markowitz for HBO Pictures followed soon after. In 2000, Cruz began teaching Design for Film at De La Salle University-College of St. Benilde in Manila, and concurrently works as Production Designer of TV commercials for some of the countryʼs top brands. Cruz is currently involved as lead Production Designer for GMA 7, one of the Philippinesʼ largest television networks. He is tasked with overseeing all visual design aspects of the networkʼs various prime-time TV shows, as well as its other flagship projects. MASON DARING (Composer) Best known for his nearly three decades of composing stylistically eclectic scores for independent film director John Sayles, Mason Daringʼs musical resume extends back to the pop-folk era of the early 70s,

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when the singer songwriter performed solo at the Bull & Finch (later Cheers) in Boston and later toured and recorded as a popular duo with singer Jeanie Stahl. He recently fulfilled a career-long dream with his self-titled solo debut album, Mason Daring. After practicing law for a few years, Daring began producing albums for popular folk artists. His legal work put him in touch with Sayles who liked Daringʼs music and hired him for $700 to score his first film, The Return of the Secaucus 7. Complementing his film composing work, which includes scores for almost all of Saylesʼ films, Daring founded his indie label Daring Records, which featured albums from Boston area musicians. Daringʼs projects as composer include the Emmy-nominated Baileyʼs Mistake, epic documentaries (The Carter Project), and the long running series Nova and Frontline. Mason teaches composition for film at the Berklee School of Music in Boston. GINO GONZALES (Costume Designer) Gino was a student and apprentice of Philippine National Artist, Salvador Bernal, who encouraged him to pursue further studies in Set and Costume Design. Gino attended the Masters of Fine Arts program in Theater Design at New York University with the aid of a Fulbright Scholarship and an Asian Cultural Council grant. He was also given the Meier and Seidman awards for excellence by NYUʼs Department of Design. He has designed sets and costumes for various theater productions in Manila, Singapore, Japan and New York. He was awarded the World Stage Design bronze medal for his set design for the Philippine Opera Companyʼs Spoliarium in Toronto, Canada in 2005. AMIGO is his first period film.