JUST A THOUGHT: “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
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BOYET’S FIRST TIME AS MUSLIM: A devout Christian, Christopher de Leon says he was immediately attracted to the role of a gentle Muslim patriarch in “Across the Crescent Moon.”
“It is my first time to play a Muslim in a film,” declared the veteran actor during a press conference recently.
De Leon said the role allowed him a better understanding of Muslim faith and practices. The film’s shoot took him to remote but beautiful places in Tawi-Tawi where he was impressed with the kindness of strangers, all of them Muslim.
He echoed a line often repeated in the action-drama film directed by Baby R. Nebrida: “We worship the same God, whether one is Christian or Muslim.”
His wish, he said, is to see the day when peace shall settle in Mindanao so that those lovely beaches he saw could also be experienced by fellow Filipinos. “They’re even better than Boracay,” he said.
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TEARS IN YOUR EYES: We attended a special preview of “Crescent Moon” the other day at Gateway cinema and came out of the experience teary-eyed.
It also left us wondering why a film with such serious intent and entertaining format could have eluded approval from the MMFF 2016 screening committee. “Crescent Moon,” which transforms Matteo Guidicelli from a matinee idol to an action star, is the type of film that could have captured the male crowd in the last filmfest, wanting as it were in an action picture.
Not only is “Crescent Moon” an ideal vehicle to show off Matteo’s newfound action star image, it also allows a number of heart-rending scenes. Parental opposition to the growing romance (and eventual marriage) between Matteo, a Muslim, and Alex Godinez, a Christian (by the way, she is good for a newcomer) results in several moving scenes that can bring tears to your eyes.
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POWERFUL MESSAGE: “Across the Crescent Moon” has a powerful, relevant, and timely message. That there’s unity and beauty in diversity. It doesn’t really matter whether one is Muslim or Christian, or belonging to another faith.
We are all Filipinos who love our homeland, the Philippines. (NESTOR CUARTERO)