At the dawn of the modern era, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan (Gael García Bernal) persuades the Spanish Crown to fund a daring voyage into uncharted oceans, attempting the first passage across the vast Pacific. The globe-spanning journey becomes a test of endurance and faith, as hunger, storms, and mutiny push the crew to the brink. Upon reaching the Malay Archipelago, Magellan’s dream of discovery hardens into obsession, sparking rebellion and a reckoning with devastating consequences. Epic in scale and hypnotic in its power, Lav Diaz’s Magellan is a visually ravishing historical and spiritual epic. This is not the myth of Magellan, but the truth of his journey.

FESTIVALS & AWARDS

Festival de Cannes 2025
Official Selection

New York Film Festival 2025
Main Slate

Sydney Film Festival 2025
Official Selection

DETAILS

Aspect Ratio
1.33:1

Picture
Colour

Sound
5.1

Screening Format
DCP

Original Language Title
Magalhães

REVIEWS

“A grand-scale historical biopic on a universally known figure, headlined by an international star in Gael García Bernal… a veritable blockbuster” — Guy Lodge, Variety

“Visually intoxicating, at moments gasp-out-loud ravishing” — Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

“Diaz’s technique allows you to relax into the frame and absorb every detail… It takes a moment to register Magellan’s presence at all, and to see that he is played by Gael García Bernal, a stealer of hearts the world over” — Justin Chang, The New Yorker

“A hypnotising historical and spiritual epic that’s immersive in a way that few decades-spanning stories successfully pull off” — Josh Slater-Williams, IndieWire

FURTHER READING

A Language of Static Shots: A Conversation with Lav Diaz

Lav Diaz on the Cost of Making Magellan