‘Los Salvajes Bravos’ brings forgotten chapter of Philippine history to MMFF
The Manila Times · 11/6/2026, 12:04:00 AM Philippine time
Excerpt from The Manila Times. Read the original report below for the complete story.A little-known chapter of Philippine history comes to the big screen as “Los Salvajes Bravos,” a historical drama about indigenous Filipinos brought to Spain and displayed as human exhibits during the 1887 Philippine Exposition, joins the official lineup of the 52nd Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).Directed by Paolo Dy, the film revisits the experiences of Filipinos who traveled to Madrid in search of a better future but instead found themselves exhibited as so-called primitive people.More than a century later, the film seeks to give a voice to these ordinary Filipinos whose stories were largely left out of historical accounts.Dy said the project began two to three years ago when he and his collaborators discussed producing another historical film. They initially considered exploring the human exhibitions in St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States, before discovering the earlier exposition in Madrid.“We researched the story and found what happened in Madrid during the exposition. It was a smaller event, but the story…