Opening in cinemas nationwide this Wednesday is an advocacy film that, as clichéd as it sounds, is as timely as today’s headlines.
Produced by Earth Below Productions, “Ang Araw sa Likod Mo,” the debut full-length feature by Dominic P. Nuesa, is inspired by the real stories of the Philippine Scout Rangers, the elite Philippine Army Special Operations unit that specializes in anti-guerilla jungle warfare.
In a recent interview with InterAksyon, Nuesa says that while his film depicts how the Scout Rangers track down Islamist extremists in Southern Philippines, it also zeroes in on the intriguing conflict between two brothers.
One is Jamiluddin (Bong Cabrera), a former Jihadi turned government informant who is helping the Scout Rangers headed by Sergeant Benjie Calayan (Ping Medina) track down his radicalized brother Omar (Mike Liwag).
“It is a story about the heroism, redemption, and sacrifice of all soldiers and their families from both sides of the conflict. From military to refugee camp, a four-decade old war is brought to light and casts a shadow to the question of what and who exactly we are fighting for,” Nuesa noted.
“The film puts a human face to the combatants involved. For the Scout Rangers, it will show why they are deployed in remote areas to fight lawless bandits, the sacrifices they have to make, who are they pursuing, and why do they have to be the ones doing the pursuing. As for the Muslims as represented by the conflicted brothers, it also touches on the Muslim background and culture.”
As a matter of fact, the film’s title is partly based on a Muslim reference. “It’s a navigational tool where you put the sun behind you during the morning so you’re facing West or Mecca and will be able to pray as a Muslim,” he noted.
Cabrera said playing Jamiluddin was an eye opener and made him look at Muslims in a more favorable light. “The general notion is that Muslims are either terrorists or bad people. That’s not true. Like you and me, they are also human beings. They just have a different culture.”
For his part, Liwag said he was very concerned about getting his character right. “I have to study the people and their culture. Whether it’s Direk Dominic or own on-set Muslim consultant, I was asking a lot of questions throughout the shoot.
Ping Medina, however, is no stranger when it comes to similarly-themed movies set in Mindanao. He played a politician in “Maratabat” and played a solder in “Mandirigma.” Both films were directed by broadcaster turned filmmaker Arlyn dela Cruz.
“I believe in the law of attraction. I grew up in Luzon, I’m a Manila boy but I became very interested in Mindanao because of its very rich and diverse culture. That’s what keep me attracted to films like this,” Ping pointed out.
“Also keeping the peace in Mindanao is something very close to my heart. That’s why I auditioned for this role. The real Scout Rangers who are also in the film playing small roles have the most interesting stories. Imagine how hard they trained then to be cast out in Mindanao to fend for themselves, sleep only three hours a day in the forest, not knowing if you’re going to live or die. Mahirap yun.”
With President Rodrigo Duterte declaring martial law in all of Mindanao as a result of the ongoing standoff in Marawi City, “Ang Araw sa Likod Mo” becomes more relevant than ever.
The film has already won four international awards – Best Film in Auckland International Film Festival, Best Director and Official Winner at the Around Films International Film Festival.
Lead actors Bong Cabrera and Mike Liwag were also given awards of recognition at the Accolade Global Film Competition while the movie earned another nomination at the World Nice Cinema Film Festival.
Also as part of the filmmakers’ advocacy, the film’s proceeds will be donated to the HERO Foundation, which helps children of soldiers killed or incapacitated in the line of duty obtain college education.
Watch the film’s official trailer here: