THE RESTORED version of political drama “Sister Stella L.” returned to the big screen on Sept. 20, the eve of the 54th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law, bringing its depiction of repression and political awakening during the Marcos Sr. dictatorship to a new generation of viewers.
Directed by Mike de Leon, the 1984 film follows Sister Stella Legaspi (Vilma Santos), a nun whose exposure to labor exploitation and state repression leads her to become politically engaged.
The film introduces Sister Stella L., who counsels battered women, as she talks to Nick Fajardo (Jay Ilagan), a journalist writing about the political involvement of members of the Catholic Church.
Initially portrayed as apolitical and uninvolved, Sister Stella L. begins to change after visiting Sister Stella B. (Laurice Guillen) and witnessing the plight of workers.
Her political awakening also depicts the involvement of members of the Church in sociopolitical movements during the dictatorship.
At the screening at the Manila Metropolitan Theater, the film’s musical composer, Ding Achacoso, said its restoration could introduce younger viewers to the country’s political history and encourage them to compare it with the present.
“I hope they see how the situation was before [in] 1984 and compare it to the present situation now, and see what should be done. There’s no difference between then and now,” Achacoso told the Varsitarian.
Achacoso noted that Ferdinand Marcos Sr. was president when the film was released in 1984, while his son, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is the incumbent president.
The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) sourced materials for the restoration from three archives: the Regal Entertainment Archives, Asian Film Archive and La Cinémathèque française.
The film underwent restoration work at L’Immagine Ritrovata in Italy, according to Noel Pascual, subtitler of the restored version and a former assistant of de Leon.
Pascual said restoring old films could help audiences connect with periods of Philippine history they did not personally experience.
“They tell us a lot about what it means to be a Filipino at any given point in time,” Pascual said.
He described the restored film as “a gift to future generations” that would allow younger audiences to encounter the work decades after its original release.
Released in 1984, “Sister Stella L.” portrayed labor struggles, state repression and political activism during the final years of the Marcos dictatorship.
Santos, Guillen, and screenwriter Jose “Pete” Lacaba joined the talkback after the special screening, which was attended by UST Rector Fr. Richard Ang, O.P. Tatyana Sabeerah R. Maranan
