The Philippine Online Chronicles

Cannes-winning director Brillante Mendoza premiered his latest movie this week at the 62nd Berlinale, the Berlin International Film Festival.

Captive, an adaptation of the 2001 Dos Palmas abductions, stars Sid Lucero and French actress Isabelle Huppert.

"As a Filipino filmmaker, I bring along with me our culture, our country, our people," Mendoza said in an interview.

While the film deals with sensitive issues—the kidnappings were instigated by the Abu Sayyaf—Mendoza clarified his aim was to focus on the bigger picture.

"It's not about the issues, it's not about the unresolved issues and conflicts in Manila. But I think when you talk about humanity, it's something we can all believe in and do something about,” the director said. “As a filmmaker one should never take sides; one should show what's really happening.”

This year's Berlinale is said to focus on social upheaval and political awakening, screening Arab-made documentaries and fictional films that traced the progress of the 2011 uprisings.

As the movie deals with foreigners being kidnapped by locals, Mendoza kept the foreigners, including Huppert, separate from the actors portraying the militants until the first day of shooting, to heighten the cultural gap between them. He also interviewed survivors, soldiers and Abu Sayyaf members.

"I remember at one point Isabelle asked me if some of the Abu Sayyaf members were real," Mendoza noted.

Reviews for Captive have been positive to middling. It is one of 18 films vying for Berlin's top prize, The Golden Bear, during the awards night this Saturday.

In 2009, Mendoza won Best Director in the Cannes International Film Festival for the film Kinatay, starring Coco Martin.