Movie retells stories of Ninoy Aquino, Marcoses

| The Final Word at the center of a film coming out tomorrow our former first families of the country including the late president Ferdinand Marcos martyr or murderer explores the lives of the marcoses and the aquinos after the EDSA People Power Revolution director Darrell Yap joins us now in the studio for more direct thank you so much for joining us on the final word first of all um what is the purpose of martyr or murderer what message do you want to convey to viewers well first of all uh let me just correct you sir that it’s uh the movie is not about Nina yakino but he’s part of it because uh you know he’s in the history he’s part of the Marcos uh the Marcus political uh Journey so his part but it’s not about him so what is it about it’s about uh it’s about the Filipino people it’s about the Philippine nation and their uh and their curiosity the first movie the background of it is actually the EDSA plus I just featured what happened inside malachanyang while EDSA was going on this uh film Marty or murderer will also feature what happened to the Marcus family and and in the background is the the death of Ninoy and of course there are criticisms no the wreck that this uh film is uh changing the narrative the facts as to what really happened when the family was in power from 1965 to 1986 yeah and after that right when they moved to Hawaii well that’s also the criticism with my first movie but I guess uh if if it if it’s still their claim then they have not watched the first movie sir um they they always claim that there is uh historical revisionism and all I always correct them and I say it’s historical rectification or I’m just showing what’s happening inside you know I’m not a political analyst I’m a director and I’m a writer so I just wrote uh what happened with the Marcus family I’m not really you know I’m not featuring any historical uh revisionism in any of my films so this film is from the perspective of uh the Marcos family did you also uh do a lot of research did you talk to historians and maybe even Marcus critics for a more uh accurate depiction of events yes sir to to be very honest uh of course the perspective or the point of view of Senator Aimee Marcos here in uh Marta or murderer uh what happened and the siblings but uh with the with claims in the history I I have a 30-man research team here in the Philippines in Boston in Morocco so I’m not really fooling around this research team did it also include direct critics of the marcosystem yes you know what sir sorry so they they won’t let me the lawyers are very careful as well so I can’t I can’t like uh make it you know a fantasy for the Marcus family this is uh this is a very responsible film this uh this film will carry uh what happened inside the house of the marcoses with the background of ninoy’s death so I don’t think I’m going to revise something I’m just going to show The Human Side of the marcoses and as long as I’m not you know editing history or making fun of it I don’t think I can see any problem with that all right uh you mentioned about this is not a movie about uh Nino yakino he’s just a part yeah of this movie because he was also a major component yes in the lives of uh the Marco says no but uh the life of Ninoy here is of course from the Marcos perspective no not exactly it’s a it’s it’s it’s based on the books as well so when this uh when when my fellow directors like uh the directors of the movies who actually uh are attempting to to compete with martyr or murder are claiming we are going to demonize Ninoy yeah it’s Ninoy in the eyes of the Marcus is you know it’s um it’s all trash it’s not true uh we all know that the movie uh is opening Nationwide on March 1st yes and at the same time as the other film yeah oras de peligro yes would you also tell your viewers would you also tell the people to watch both your film and Horace piligro to have you know and be the judge I already have their perspective I already posted that sir in all my platforms you know why because uh aside from uh it will make uh the movie industry grow more I oh I I also encourage your kababayans to watch not only two but three I don’t know if uh the movie of Vince tanyada is still there I don’t know if it’s Jose Ninoy yeah if this pulled out already but uh I am encouraging all my followers to please watch the three so that they can qualify press people you know movie reviews if it’s true or not so that so the the next time they’ll pick Casino kicking gun because with all of this promo and all I’m I’m really encouraging all of my kababayans to watch the three films you know direct I was watching the trailer yeah I’m quite curious about this scene yeah between uh Aimee Marcos and her father yeah and she says yeah not to her father yes and then her father says the the former president and the late uh president uh Marco says yeah what is the context of that direct well if if I explain it to you sir you won’t watch the movie anymore yeah but but it happened it really happened when of course you know this is uh this is a revelation from the first movie they didn’t know that Demarcus children are very outspoken inside the inside the dining table I mean in the dining table yeah as long as they talk freely with their father so when when senator Aimee played by Christine Reyes I asked the dad about this his feedback well all of people in EDSA saying is so it’s true that the late president said it’s true that I’m you know what was the context it’s in the film it’s in the film but it’s well explained it’s well explained yeah it’s after uh the late president assessed that but would you consider the late President also a dictator well there are instances yeah I am very transparent to the Marcus family I I said that because everyone says the late dictator Ferdinand edralin Marcos you know what I’m gonna what is your opinion on that well you know um that’s what that’s what’s in the book so when they say a dictator you know I’m only 36 years old I’m a 90s kid so all of my textbooks my dictator when uh when I was reviewing all of this script no it’s very hard to believe that he’s a dictator if he listens to to his kids that much you know Irene marrying and Araneta you know aimi marrying uh if it’s really that dictator I don’t think so you know they say that family is the basic unit of the society I don’t I don’t I don’t see him as a dictator I just see him as a very very very stiff leader that’s what I that’s what I saw with the interviews and all the files that I’ve read the files but of course we also saw a lot of human rights violations that took place uh during the uh Marcos regime you mentioned at the dinner table everyone is open to each other everyone speaks their mind yeah was the president the current president of bongbong Marcos and the Sister Irene consulted in for the content of this film you know uh Senator Aimee is the only you know art when it comes to movies a producer an actor she’s basically the face yeah you know Martin or murderer and even the sequel because this is the trilogy yeah yes well we we get we get uh permission about the artists playing of course the script will not roll out the man if there if this is a former first lady Imelda has a say in this film so basically everybody is part of this film was consulted nah yeah for permission I guess but not creatively not the way I the way I told the story but I guess with the tiny details uh we have to make you mentioned about that keyword permission yeah you also asked permission from the family of Aquino uh on how it’s being depicted here in this film um I don’t see the need of asking their permission all of uh the materials that uh described Ninoy in my film is available in public so I don’t see I I don’t know it’s in the textbooks yeah I don’t have their number no I don’t know I don’t know I’m sure they would have wanted to share the number with you okay direct here’s another question were there any portions of the film that you wanted to keep in the end but you know did make the cut well nice because I can see it’s it’s a very cinematic film yeah it’s a big budget film it was filmed in uh in a couple of weeks yeah yeah and you even flew to Morocco yeah well at first the lawyers of Viva we are actually on a debate about three scenes about Ninoy they want me to include a video evidence for evidentiary support but you know all I have is actually um books and magazines from uh people uh that is very tangible you know one book is uh the only book actually now it’s in uh the uh uh mapua Library you know the aquinos of Tarlac by national artist uh Nick Joaquin was also very close to the aquinos so I so it’s a it’s really very hard for me to have a debate with lawyers but at first they want to cut those three scenes uh 11 minutes to be exact but when we had the meeting with because I was so arrogant during the time and say if you don’t want to put this uh in my film then let’s not show it at all because you also have to have your say yeah of course of course of course directing this yeah of course of course of course what we saw uh was a tigress uh I me what part of Amy do we see in martyr or murder and why was uh her Morocco Journey so important also to this film you know for the very first time the senator is sharing to the public why she forged passports you know why she went to Morocco Portugal and other countries you know um in made in Malachi Senator aim is like you know yelling all throughout the film very stressed and all here in a man you can see her in five uh in five different facets I guess because martyr murderer has five timelines 1954 uh 1987 1983 and 1989 and 2016. so you’ll see the the development of the character of uh Senator Aimee and as well with the siblings of course and finally uh we are now in the second part of the trilogy yes what is the title of the third uh installment and when are we likely to to see this in the big screen well um I’m not allowed to say it but I’m going to say it anyway well I have three legit it’s me mom mom so it’s made in malacan young martyr or murderer and mom stands for Mabuhay Aloha Mabuhay I want to show it I want to have it in cinemas on September 21 2023 and what’s the plot well the plot is basically their life in Hawaii is in the Philippines Aloha and then not necessarily geographically but you know politically so the time the timeline would be 2016 and 2022 elections and towards the end of the trailer you have uh YULA Valdez yeah who’s playing the role of Senator Aimee yes in this third installment yes answering a phone call and on the other side of the phone is and he says yeah I want to say that actually that’s their original script but you know the lawyers are very critical about it but my first trip if we’re going to show it to you you know what sorry it’s very plastic when we say setting in God they filed you know they failed a recount so little careers yeah and uh even the margin of victory of Lenny even got wider yeah yeah so I I don’t see any problem with that and by the way if uh everybody uh failed to catch the premiere it’s Adam mulak was playing the adult bongbong Mark so all right thank you so much thank you sir for joining us on the final word to talk about martyr or murderer director Darrell link you yeah thank you.