Following the box-office and critical successes of 2016’s Ignacio de Loyola and 2023’s GomBurZa, Jesuit Communications proudly presents its third offering: Los Salvajes Bravos (The Brave Ones). The drama-adventure film about “Igorot savages” who were brought to the 1887 grand exposition in Spain stars an exemplary ensemble cast composed of Romnick Sarmenta, Ruru Madrid, Michael de Mesa, Christian Vazquez, Arnold Reyes, Michael Roy Jornales, Jojit Lorenzo, Paolo O’Hara, Elora Españo, JM Salvado, Miguel Vasquez, DM Boongaling, Aya Sarmiento, Kenshin Lagutan, Roven Alejandro, and Andreas Muñoz (who played the title role in Ignacio de Loyola).
Directing is Paolo Dy who also helmed Ignacio de Loyola; Dy co-wrote the screenplay with Juan Ekis, the playwright behind the celebrated 2024 musical Pingkian.
Los Salvajes Bravos follows the journey of Ismael Alzate (played by Romnick Sarmenta), an Igorot ex-soldier loyal to Spain, and the “Igorot savages” he brought to be showcased at the 1887 grand exposition in El Retiro Park in Madrid. As the presentation degrades into a spectacle, the Filipinos lose their dignity, pushing them to plot their escape so they could safely return home.
“At Jesuit Communications, our mission has always been to use media to evangelize, to educate, and to stir the conscience. Los Salvajes Bravos follows in the footsteps of Ignacio de Loyola and GomBurZa: films that bring faith, history, and humanity to the screen,” said Jesuit Communications Executive Director Rev. Fr. Emmanuel “Nono” Alfonso, SJ.
Fr. Alfonso pointed out that though events happened more than a century ago, the issues are present today. “Why tell the story now? It is because imperialism, racism, and tribalism remain with us—sometimes in obvious ways, sometimes in more subtle, insidious forms. To remember this painful history is to see ourselves more clearly, and to ask hard questions about how we treat the poor, the marginalized, and those different among us,” he emphasized.
For Dy, the exposition of the so-called savages was a very haunting and disturbing circumstance. He said, “Beneath the beauty and elegance lies the truth: it represents the Philippines as the colonial masters would have preferred to see it… preserved as a specimen.”
The team of JesCom is hopeful that audiences worldwide will embrace Los Salvajes Bravos the same way they supported their previous projects. Ignacio de Loyola won Best Picture at the Vatican’s Mirabile Dictu International Catholic Film Festival, while GomBurZa dominated the 49th Metro Manila Film Festival, winning seven awards, including 2nd Best Picture and Best Director for Pepe Diokno; it also has the distinction of being one of the most awarded Filipino films of 2023-2024 with a total of 20 awards. “We trust that our latest project will resonate globally while honoring Filipino identity. Supporting this project means shaping cultural memory for generations,” declared JesCom Creative Director Pauline Mangilog-Saltarin.
The cast and production team of Los Salvajes Bravos were given a send-off recently before flying to Spain to film the rest of the movie.
The movie has obtained full support from the Quezon City Film Commission. JesCom invites individuals and organizations to collaborate with them on this very meaningful project. Interested parties may contact Dit Sablan at 0908-8868447 or email dit2gsablan@gmail.com.
