Rizal's 'Mi Ultimo Adios' to be featured in Hong Kong filmfest for the deaf

A short film based on Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal's poem "Mi Ultimo Adios (My Last Farewell)" will be screened at an international film festival for the deaf on February 24.   The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong said Thursday that the film by award-winning independent advocacy filmmaker Mirana Medina is interpreted in Filipino sign language.    The film will be shown as part of the second Hong Kong International Deaf Film Festival, which “hopes to enlighten the Hong Kong public on the aspirations of the Deaf and their potential to contribute positively to society.”   The screening will be held at the agnes b. Cinema of the Hong Kong Arts Centre, 2 Harbour Road, Wan Chai.   Tickets are available at HK$60 each. For more information, visit www.hkidff.com. Jose Rizal

José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda was a Filipino polymath and patriot who advocated for reforms in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era.

Rizal was born to a rich family in Calamba, Laguna on June 19, 1861. He was the seventh child in the family which had 11 children.

He attended various schools: 

• Ateneo Municipal de Manila (earning a Bachelor of Arts);
• University of Santo Tomas (medicine);
• Universidad Central de Madrid in Madrid, Spain (Licentiate in Medicine);
• University of Paris, and
• University of Heidelberg.

Rizal was a polyglot who was conversant in 22 languages.

He was also a poet and novelist and his two most famous works were the "Noli me Tangere" and "El Filibusterismo."

On December 30, 1896, Rizal was executed by the Spanish in Bagumbayan.

The date of his death is remembered every year as "Rizal Day." - RJMD/VVP, GMA News