Bagong Buwan

Bagong Buwan is a 2001 Filipino drama film co-produced and directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya and written by Diaz-Abaya, Ricky Lee, and Jun Lana. It is about the Muslim rebellion in Mindanao, Philippines and its effect on civilians. It has become one of Marilou Diaz-Abaya's cinematic masterpieces due to making awareness and highlights of a socio-political issue to the cinematic audience. The film was released on December 25, 2001, as an official entry of the 27th Metro Manila Film Festival and won seven awards including Best Actor to Cesar Montano, Best Child Performer to Jiro Manio, and Best Original Theme Song to Joey Ayala's Walang Hanggang Paalam. Controversially, the film won the Second Best Picture award, this caused an alarm from Cesar Montano who was dismayed from the winning of the said award to Yamashita: The Tiger's Treasure. It received an international release in the United States on July 19, 2002, as part of the New York Asian American International Film Festival and in Japan on September 15, 2002, as part of the 12th Fukuoka International Film Festival. The film was restored in high definition by ABS-CBN Film Archives and Central Digital Lab in 2015. Plot Ahmad (Cesar Montano) belongs to the Moro people . While many of his kind are bent on fighting, thinking that Mindanao is only for the Muslims, Ahmad prefers to live a simple and peaceful life. He works as a doctor in Manila while his wife, Fatima (Amy Austria), and his only son, Ibrahim, stay in Mindanao with his mother, Farida (Caridad Sanchez). Ahmad is shocked and devastated when Fatima breaks the confounding news. Ibrahim was killed by a stray bullet when vigilantes indiscriminately fire at their village. Ahmad goes back to where he came from --- Mindanao. Ibrahim’s death did not cause Ahmad to stop striving to live a peaceful life, much to the consternation of his brother, Musa (Noni Buencamino). His brother takes an exactly opposite stand. Musa believes in waging a war against all the unbelievers who may impede the Moro’s goal of independence. He even trains his young son, Rashid (Carlo Aquino) to a Muslim warrior’s life.