Heneral Luna

Heneral Luna is a 2015 Filipino epic war film starring John Arcilla as the titular character Antonio Luna who led the Philippine Revolutionary Army during the early phases of the Philippine–American War. Directed by Jerrold Tarog and produced by Artikulo Uno Productions, the film received critical acclaim from critics, praising its cinematography, writing, acting and plot. The film was selected as the Philippine entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards but it was not nominated. With a production budget of , it is one of the most expensive Filipino epic historical films ever released. On September 29, 2015, it broke the previous record of to become the highest grossing Filipino historical film of all time. Despite a 50% discount that was offered to student viewers, by the beginning of its fourth week, the film was well on its way to reaching the gross ticket sales. On October 11, it was officially announced that the film had reached its break even point. The film's success spawned the sequel Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral, which focuses on General Gregorio Del Pilar during the Philippine–American War. Plot Towards the end of the 19th century, Spanish colonial rule over the Philippines comes to an end and the country gains its independence. Unwilling to face humiliation, Spain secretly sells the archipelago to the victorious Americans for $20,000,000 during the Treaty of Paris. At the Barasoain Church in Malolos, during a cabinet meeting over the growing American presence in the Philippines, cabinet members Felipe Buencamino and Pedro Paterno propose to form an alliance with the Americans to avoid open conflict but this angers Generals Antonio Luna and José Alejandrino, both of whom prefer to fight the new invaders. Meanwhile, President Emilio Aguinaldo attempts to negotiate with the Americans over the control of Manila, which is still under Spanish control. They eventually learn that the Spaniards and Americans have staged a battle which ended with the complete control of Manila transferred to the latter, thereby bringing the Philippines under American control. After an incident between American and Filipino soldiers in Manila, Aguinaldo starts a brutal resistance against the Americans to protect the country's independence.