A film which takes place in the Philippines in 1900 during the Philippine–American War which was shot entirely in the Philippines is now showing in theaters.

Amigo is a period film written and directed by John Sayles (Lone Star, Silver City). The film is about the Philippine-American War of 1899-1902. It is one of only a small handful of films directed by an American to address the tensions of this forgotten war, the only other notable example being The Real Glory.

Starring in the film are Chris Cooper, Yul Vasquez, Garret Dillahunt, DJ Qualls and our very own Joel Torre, Bembol Roco, Pen Medina, Ronnie Lazaro and Rio Locsin.

Here is the plot of the film:

Amigo centers on Rafael Dacanay, cabeza of the barrio of San Isidro in a rice-growing area of Luzon. His brother Simón, head of the local guerilla band, has forced the surrender of the Spanish guardia civil outpost and charged Rafael with the task of imprisoning the guardia Captain and the baryo’s Spanish friar, Padre Hidalgo, in the name of the revolutionary government. But when the American troops chasing General Aguinaldo arrive, the Spanish officer and Padre Hidalgo are freed, and a garrison under the command of Lieutenant Ike Compton is left to ‘protect’ the barrio. The American occupation policy now changes from ‘hearts and minds’ to ‘concentration’ (what was called ‘hamletting’ during the Vietnam war) and Rafael has to answer to both the Americans and the Filipino patriots, with deadly consequences.

“Amigo” is coming to US theaters on August 19th, 2011 (and now playing in the Philippines).

Watch the movie trailer of “Amigo” here: