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Filipino-Americans in Georgia help get word out on '1521'

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Lenn Almadin-Thornhill | TFC News Georgia

<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z9n63lWAuzI?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>Filipino-American actor Michael Copon plays the famed chieftain of Mactan, Lapu-Lapu, in the movie &quot;1521&quot; with veteran American actor Danny Trejo as the Portuguese explorer, Ferdinand Magellan.The film will hit theaters across the United States for one day only on Oct. 2.&quot;I poured my heart into the script just because like wow, this is crazy,&quot; said Copon. &quot;And I am right here, this is where it all happened. Amazing.”Set in the backdrop of the epic Battle of Mactan, &quot;1521&quot; tells the story of a tribal princess, played by Filipino actress Bea Alonzo, who falls in love with a Spanish soldier played by Hector David Jr.Its producer, Francis Lara Ho, a Filipino-Chinese-American, has been visiting U.S. cities and towns to promote the film.“The Filipino stories of heroism and honor are all over the world and yet no one is telling our story,&quot; she shared. &quot;And so that prompted me to think about how I could let the whole world know the greatness and the goodness of our people.”Groups in Georgia have since mobilized their members to help get the world out on &quot;1521.&quot;Willy Blanco, information director of Makabayan Georgia, said they target to get at least a thousand Filipino-Americans and their friends to watch the movie.&quot;This is a perfect opportunity for us to educate those who don’t know much about our history, especially the young, those who are born here in the United States,&quot; said Blanco.The film was shot entirely in the Philippines with mostly Filipino production crew. It will premiere in 700 theaters across the U.S.Said Ho: &quot;&#x27;1521&#x27; is not an historical documentary. It&#x27;s an historical drama, action film. &quot;It is actually a fictionalized story inspired by true historical events. The closest example is Braveheart or the Titanic.”Ho added that the film not only fulfills his and Copon&#x27;s dream of bringing Lapu-Lapu&#x27;s heroism to life, but also opens doors for more filmmakers to share Philippine stories with the global audience.Those interested may visit <a data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0" href="http://www.1521movie.com/" id="LPlnkOWA9281cb25-7fc9-ecef-5f28-df0a33322366" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="www.1521movie.com">www.1521movie.com</a> for tickets and showtimes.