Joel Lamangan doing a film based on Ampatuan Massacre

AFTER ‘DUKOT’, a film that won several awards and gained much acclaim abroad, Director Joel Lamangan is now all set to do two more political films: “Deadline” produced by Atty. Ariel Inton and “Patikul”, an entry in the 2011 Cinemalaya Filmfest based on a Palanca Award-winning script. Written by Boni Ilagan of “Dukot”, “Deadline” is a political thriller about warlordism in the country and the killing of media men based on the Ampatuan-Maguindanao massacre.

Tirso Cruz III (who won an award for Joel’s “Sigwa”) plays the abusive governor in a fictionial Mindanao province who orders the mass murder of journalists who won’t kowtow to him. Lovi Poe (who just won FAMAS best actress for Joel’s “Sagrada Familia”) plays a TV journalist who’s boyfriend was killed by Tirso.

Others in the cast are Allen Dizon (who also just won FAMAS best actor for “Dukot”) as a Muslim reporter who survives the massacre, Ina Feleo as his journalist girlfriend who gets killed, TJ Trinidad as a pro-administration reporter who later sees the light and sides with the truth, Raquel Villavicencio as a TV network executive, Tony Mabesa as a newspaper editor, and John Apacible, Mon Confiado and Benjie Felipe as the governor’s henchmen. “I will shoot this in January then in February, I will shoot naman ‘Patikul’ which is about how poor coffee farmers in Mindanao bond themselves together against the Abu Sayyaf,” says Joel, who’s also directing the hit GMA-7, “Beauty Queen”.