Magellan Trailer: Lav Diaz’s Epic Premieres This January

      Following a comprehensive festival circuit that began at the Cannes Film Festival, Lav Diaz’s meticulously crafted epic, Magellan, is set to reach U.S. theaters on January 9, 2026. Selected as the Philippines' submission for the Oscars and featuring Gael García Bernal in the lead role, Janus Films has unveiled the inaugural U.S. trailer and poster.

      Here’s the synopsis: “At the onset of the modern age, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan (Gael García Bernal) steered a fleet of ships to Southeast Asia, undertaking the first voyage across the expansive Pacific Ocean. Upon arriving at the Malay Archipelago, the crew, pushed to the edge of insanity by the ferocity of the high seas and the islands' breathtaking natural beauty, faces a rebellion sparked by Magellan's obsession, ultimately confronting the repercussions of power. A grand, globe-encompassing saga from Filipino director Lav Diaz (NORTE, THE END OF HISTORY), MAGELLAN portrays the colonization of the Philippines as a primal, shocking encounter with the unfamiliar and provides a radical reimagining of European narratives surrounding discovery and exploration.”

      In his review from Cannes, Alistair Ryder stated, “This film represents a significant commentary on how cinema reinterprets historical narratives—often solidifying a definitive interpretation of contested facts, despite taking narrative freedoms—set within a lesser work. The account of Magellan’s demise in the Battle of Mactan is based on a single recorded eyewitness, and by prompting us to doubt the reliability of this sole narrator through his perspective on events, it creates the impression of a more profound genre reconstruction than what is actually depicted on screen. Within the film itself, Diaz appears to manipulate convention through omission; the sole major battle scene is intentionally anti-climactic, presented as a static shot from a distance, showing three boats awkwardly firing cannons at one another, reminiscent of an anti-Master and Commander.”

      Check out the trailer and poster below.