Quezon (film)

Development and pre-production

It was reported in 2018 that the sequel to Goyo would be about President Manuel L. Quezon, with Benjamin Alves and TJ Trinidad set to reprise their roles as younger and older versions of Quezon respectively.^[20][21] However, Tarog's work on the sequel was postponed after Star Cinema hired him in 2018 to direct Darna. While Tarog focused on filming for Darna, producer EA Rocha stated in 2019 that pre-production work on the potential Quezon film would continue. The film was planned to undergo pre-production work in 2021, with its scriptwriting planned after the production of Darna, and set for a 2022 release.^[22]

In 2021, Tarog teased the potential script co-written with Rody Vera on Twitter (X), and stated that it was still to be submitted for approval.^[23] The project would later receive a "large budget production fund" support from the Film Development Council of the Philippines as a part of its CreatePHFilms Funding Program Cycle 1 of 2024.^[24] Amazon Prime Video would have funded the film's production, but Quezon lost its source for production funds when Prime Video shut down original film production in Southeast Asia in 2024.^[25][26][27] In January 2025, TBA Studios confirmed that the filming of Quezon would commence in March of the same year.^[28]

Quezon was initially planned as a political thriller, but eventually became a dark comedy after a further research.^[29] Tarog also found comedy and satire to be the most appropriate genres for the film. The film has four segments that narrate Quezon's political career.^[21] The four segments feature Quezon's conflicts against fictional journalist Joven Hernando, who appears in prior Bayaniverse films Goyo and Heneral Luna, Sergio Osmeña, Leonard Wood, and Emilio Aguinaldo.^[30] The film begins with a disclaimer that it is written with artistic license to communicate specific themes.^[31][32]

Mon Confiado announced his role as Aguinaldo on January 31, 2025, by posting a picture of the cast's read-through.^[33] On February 18, TBA Studios announced that Jericho Rosales would portray the role of Quezon,^[6] as Trinidad backed out due to prior commitments.^[34] On February 19, it was announced that Aaron Villaflor would portray as Joven Hernando.^[35] On March 16, TBA Studios confirmed that Iain Glen has been cast in the film and would portray the role of governor-general Leonard Wood.^[15]

Filming

In a social media post, TBA Studios announced the start of their filming for Quezon on March 18, 2025.^[18][36] The production shot several scenes in Manila, such as a theater in Santa Catalina College and at the National Museum of Fine Arts, which was the historic site of Quezon's presidential inauguration.^[37]: 32 Quezon was also filmed in San Juan, Batangas.^[38] The depiction of Quezon's election as senate president was arranged similar to a game of chess; 64 desks and chairs were made for the scene, and filming took place in an event venue in Las Piñas in place for Ayuntamiento de Manila. The characters' movements across the venue in the sequence also mimic the Immortal Game.^[26] The final scene of Quezon being wheeled into Malinta Tunnel was shot in the Centennial Tunnel in La Union.^[37]: 37 Filming concluded on June 11, 2025.^[39]

Philippine government's response

On October 14, 2025, the Philippines' Department of Education released a memorandum to show their support for the film. It promoted the film to junior and senior high school students, and teachers to encourage the film's integration into classroom discussions as it's "designed to strengthen historical awareness, civic education, and appreciation of the arts among Filipino learners by providing creative, curriculum-aligned tools that make history both relevant and accessible," and it also offers a "compelling portrait of history while providing timely reflections on governance, leadership, and national identity".^[48][49]

Box office and accolades

The film was released on October 15, 2025 in the Philippines, alongside The Marianas Web, and earned ₱6 million on its opening day and ₱30 million in 5 days.^[50][51] Filmmaker Jose Javier Reyes, head of the Film Development Council of the Philippines, expressed concerns that more viewers were seeing erotic entries to the CineSilip Film Festival than Quezon.^[52][53] As of February 9, 2026, the film has earned over ₱100 million.^[2] Quezon won the Best Actor, Best Director, Best Picture, Best Screenplay, and the Best Production Design awards at the 9th EDDYS.^[54]

Critical response

Several reviews of Quezon commended the film's cinematography, cast performances, and musical score.^[30][55] Some reviewers praised the performances of Glen, Villaflor, and Karylle, including the portrayals of Rosales and Alves as Quezon in separate eras.^[16][56][57] Moreover, Tatler Asia's Syrah Inocencio described the production design as a reminiscent of "the elegance and tension of the 1930s".^[55] However, Daily Tribune's Stephanie Mayo emphasized in a critical review that Sarmenta's forced high-pitched voice, and Rosales' gestures and "clipped English" remove immersion and authenticity in their performances. They also pointed out crude makeup in several characters, such as Sarmenta's penciled eyebrows curving upwards.^[57]

Several reviewers found the pacing of Quezon rapid, and its brisk editing suited Quezon's two-hour runtime for Manila Bulletin's Philip Cu Unjieng.^[58][59] Meanwhile, Mayo argued comparing the film's rapid pace and editing to Marvel Cinematic Universe films, and that the dramatic dialogue and sequences "[bursting] with brio" seem to show that "historical seriousness" in the film might bore the audience.^[57] The flashback scenes, shot as black-and-white silent films with comical movement and music, were comedic and effective devices according to historian Ambeth Ocampo.^[31] Esquire's Zach Yonzon found that the silent films serve as creative thematic chapter markers for "an otherwise unexciting story" filled with exposition.^[32] However, for Mayo, the flashback scenes result in a film being overstuffed and overextended. They also remarked that the movie seems to depend on "flashbacks, diegetic devices, and spoon-fed explanations".^[57] The film's comedic approach received positive reception from some reviewers; ABS-CBN's Fred Hawson exemplified this with the movie's comparison of the Quezon-Osmeña split with a married couple's quarrel.^[30][58] The Philippine Star's Jose Dalisay argued that Quezon should be interpreted as a theater through its stylized choreography and exaggerated characters.^[58]

Quezon yielded discussion on its historical accuracy and portrayal of historical figures such as Quezon's role on Philippine patronage politics.^[55] The study guide released with Quezon details the movie's historical accuracy. The events discussed in it include Quezon's attempts to influence Philippine newspapers mirrored by the fictional conflict with Joven, and his opposition to the Hare–Hawes–Cutting Act in fear of being uncredited for an independence law. It also acknowledges deviations on the portrayal of Pedro Janolino, who had died two years before the 1935 Philippine presidential election campaign, the lack of verifiable information on Ana Ricardo, and that Aguinaldo's pension was cancelled during the Philippine Commonwealth and not during the 1935 elections as the film shows.^[11] Ocampo noted that the movie parallels several primary sources stored at the Bentley Historical Library, such as the letters dated in 1929 requesting reports on Aguinaldo and a rape compliant against Quezon.^[31] Moreover, Quezon narrates complicated events such as the 1923 cabinet crisis and the Quezon-Osmeña split with humor and without oversimplifying, Xiao Chua, a historical consultant in the film's promotion, opined. Chua remarked that Wood was appropriately portrayed as a "conscientious administrator".^[7] Some reviewers also saw Quezon as a nod to early filmmaking in the Philippines through the fictional Hernando's cinema and a mention of Harris and Tait, producers of the Philippines' film, Zamboanga.^[30][55]

Some reviewers also found the portrayal of Quezon as non-hagiographical through showing the character in various perspectives.^[30][60] Yonzon appreciated the director's "care to balance Quezon’s charm against his unscrupulousness".^[32] However, Ocampo found the movie as an "iconoclastic treatment" by showing him as "a two-faced chameleon [...] and detestable" politician.^[31] Moreover, Hawson found Rosales's depiction of Quezon as "fiercely egotistical".^[30] Some reviewers contrasted the portrayal with that of 2018 film Quezon's Game; Mayo described Quezon's Game as showing Quezon with a "human restraint" against the other that may aim to represent Quezon as a parody and caricature.^[16][57] For The Philippine Star's Januar Junior Aguja, the film is also a cynical critique of Filipino people and politics. Joven, who seems to parallel ordinary Filipino people, eventually becomes complicit with Quezon's actions.^[56] Meanwhile, Rosales's character displays idealism and nationalism juxtaposed with an elitist attitude and egotistical manipulation.^[59] Some reviews also discussed the film's theme of history or politics as performance,^[55][61] and the film as a reflection of recurring and contemporary events such as the flood control projects scandal^[32] and politicians' opportunism.^[60] While criticizing the overstimulating pace of Quezon and classifying it as "between historical drama and cartoonish parody", Mayo commends the film's technical design and reflection on the origins of corruption.^[57]

Quezon family's response

Enrique "Ricky" Quezon Avanceña, a grandson of Manuel L. Quezon, criticized the film's satirical approach as admitted by director Tarog, saying it was a disrespectful and unserious portrayal of his grandfather. At the Q&A segment following the film's screening at the Power Plant Mall in Makati on October 23, 2025, he accused the filmmakers of "desecrating the memory" of his grandfather and using the claim of satire as a shield for historical inaccuracies to gain profit. TBA Studios responded by stating that while they respect his sentiments, the film is based on verified historical accounts, including Quezon's autobiography, with added fictional elements for thematic purposes.^[62]

John Arcilla, a grandnephew of Manuel L. Quezon who had portrayed Antonio Luna in the first Bayaniverse film Heneral Luna, supported Avanceña, and acknowledged that Quezon's living relatives should have been consulted in the film's production. He further remarked that the film's tone could be interpreted as satirical, citing the stylized depiction of early political rivalries and certain performance choices. However, Arcilla stated that even within this framing, the film's "preachy and direct characterization" of Quezon contributed to the discomfort he and his other relatives expressed.^[63]

Actress Pinky Amador, a great-grandchild of Manuel L. Quezon, posted on social media criticizing how the film showed only “one side” of Quezon, further adding that the usage of satirical and fictional elements could mislead Filipinos in the context of the film's endorsement by the Department of Education.^[64]

Historian and writer Manolo Quezon, an adopted grandson of Manuel L. Quezon, reviewed the film in a video published by Rappler on November 5, 2025.^[65]