Tadhana (1978)

Directed by

Nonoy Marcelo

Genre

animation

Country

Philippines

Runtime

54 min

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This 1978 Philippine animated film uses comedy and historical vignettes to tell a sanitized version of the country's Spanish colonial era. It was commissioned by Ferdinand Marcos as martial law propaganda and features cartoonish depictions of historical figures and mythological creatures. Despite its origins, the film later became a classroom staple for teaching Philippine history.

satiricallight-heartedanachronisticeducationalbittersweetplayfulpropagandisticobscure

What happens

Tadhana (English: Destiny) is a 1978 Philippine adult animated historical comedy film written and directed by cartoonist Nonoy Marcelo. Presenting a satirical and light-hearted take on Philippine history, the film depicts several historical figures and mythological creatures during the Spanish colonial period through various vignettes. Based on a book of the same name by Ferdinand Marcos, the tenth president of the Philippines, Tadhana was commissioned by the Marcos' government to contributed as a part of the martial law propaganda for the New Society Movement. The film served Imee Marcos as a producer alongside his uncle and collaborator José Zabala-Santos as one of the animators. Tadhana is the first feature-length animated film ever produced in the Philippines, despite being released as a television film, premiered on Philippine television on September 21, 1978, in commemoration of the sixth anniversary of martial law. Although the film fell into obscurity, it became a staple film for educational purposes in subsequent decades. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

• Maharlika (1970)
• Batas Militar (1997)
• A Martial Law Special
• Tisoy! (1977)
• Urduja (2008)
• Illustrated By (2012)
• Katips (2021)
• Signos (2008)