Award-winning director Vince Tañada revealed on Wednesday the research process behind the Martial Law film “Katips.”
In an interview on the “Facts First” podcast with journalist Christian Esguerra, Tañada said his production team exerted rigorous effort in ensuring that the film adhered to facts. This included consultations with historians.
“Napakahalaga na katotohanan na ipinapakita namin sa aming screening, na bunga ng matagal at maprosesong pagsasaliksik.[…] Hindi naman ito nakabase lang sa sinasabing tsismis. Talagang ito ay pinag-aralan ng mga eskolastiko at academician, at sila din ay ating naging resource people, tulad nina Xiao Chua, na talagang tumulong para sa pagbuo ng pelikulang ito,” he said.
Historicity in filmmaking is on the spotlight amid the emergence of historical distortions in the Marcos-funded film “Maid in Malacañang,” about the final hours of the Marcoses in Malacañang during the 1986 People Power Revolution.
Katips started as a play in 2016, titled “Katips: Ang Mga Bagong Katipunero.” Tañada said the pre-production phase involved dialogues with victims of Martial Law abuses.
“‘No’ng 2016, nagkaroon kami ng pakikipag-usap sa mga biktima ng Martial Law. Ito ay dinaluhan ng mga sikat na Martial Law victims, tulad ni Congresswoman Etta Rosales, nina Hilda Narciso, nina Susan Quimpo, nina Zenaide Mique, ito yung mga talagang pinahirapan, at iba pa sa kanila, ginahasa, no’ng panahon na ‘yon,” said Tañada.
“Nagkaroon pa kami ng ilan pang pag-iistage nito na bago namin ilabas sa commercial release, kasi nga gusto namin lahat ng mga biktima ng Martial Law makita muna nila kung mayroong mga mali—We want to be accurate with the timeline,” he added.
The movie won big at the 70th Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (Famas) Awards on July 30, where it garnered the Best Original Song, Best Musical Score, Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Picture accolades.
Katips premiered on Aug. 3. Adrian L. Parungao