PAULO Avelino and the cast of “Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral” were flocked by hundreds of fans during the red carpet premiere of the movie last Sept. 1 in Robinsons Movieworld Galleria Cebu.
Present at the red carpet premiere were Avelino (Gregorio del Pilar), Mon Confiado (Emilio Aguinaldo), Carlo Aquino, Gwen Zamora, Empress Schuck, Rafa Siguion-Reyna and Jason Dewey.
This was the first time director Jerrold Tarog held his red carpet premiere in Cebu. According to him, this was because of the fact that his first film when he started as an amateur filmmaker was done in Cebu; this was his way of thanking the region.
“Goyo” is a sequel to “Heneral Luna,” the latter released in cinemas in 2015. The former is the second part of an envisioned historical trilogy. Directed by Tarog, the movie focuses on the young general Gregorio del Pilar who died in Tirad Pass at the age of 23. He fought for the Philippine Republic under the leadership of Emilio Aguinaldo. The movie shows not only the battle for Philippine freedom but also the battle within him as a young boy who simply follows orders and as a general who loves his country.
Extensive research was done to make the film as historically accurate as possible, which is one of the reasons why it took Tarog three years to release the second installment. In the press conference, Avelino admitted that in the process of researching his character, he found several historical books contradicting each other similar to what happened to the factions within KKK that ultimately led to its demise.
“Antonio Luna was this brash, fiery person. He did not care, and the entire movie was designed to emphasize that kind of character. This time, the theme is introversion and introspection, and lots of critical thinking. Goyo is silent compared to Heneral Luna and when you see the film, keep in mind that it’s not Heneral Luna. It was designed that way so that the experience would be different, rather than a simple continuation of Heneral Luna,” said Tarog.
The film is showing today, Sept. 5 in cinemas nationwide.