Actor Joel Torre promotes Fil-Am war movie in Washington

Veteran actor Joel Torre promoted in Washington in the United States a Filipino movie on the Philippine-American War, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said. The DFA said Torre, the lead actor in the "Amigo" movie, attended a press conference Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. and fielded questions from the media and the Filipino-American community. "According to Mr. Torre, the writer-director made an extensive research about this part of the historical relations between the Philippines and the United States, including traveling to the Philippines to visit significant sites of the Philippine-American war," the DFA said in a news release on Monday. The movie, set in the 1900s, depicts the early days of the American occupation of the Philippines. It was shot entirely in Bohol province in Central Visayas, the DFA noted. "Amigo," written and directed by Academy award nominee John Sayles, tells of the struggle faced by a town mayor played by Torre, where he is pressured to choose between collaborating with American troops or remaining loyal to his people, including his brother who heads the local guerilla movement. "Amigo" will also be shown in AMC Lynnhaven in Virginia Beach and in AMC Rio in Gaithersburg, Maryland beginning September 2, the DFA said. Aside from Torre, the other stars of the movie include Rio Locsin, Ronnie Lazaro and Bembol Roco; and Academy award winner Chris Cooper (Adaptation), Garret Dillahunt (No Country for Old Men, Deadwood) and Tony award winner Yul Vasquez. Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Cuisia Jr. assured Torre he will watch the premiere night on September 2 at the West End Cinema in Washington, D.C. The DFA said director John Sayles and producer Maggie Renzi will be at the West End Cinema on September 2 for a Q and A with the viewers. The movie will run for a week. - VVP, GMA News