From Insurgents to Heroes

Insurgents, commonly referred to as rebels or revolutionaries have greatly contributed to define each and every nation throughout history. The insurgents are initially considered by the ruling party a threat to their seats of power but to the general public or the masses, they are hailed as the greatest thinkers and movers of their time who bring about changes for the greater good – seeking freedom from oppression and poverty.

The Philippines for one, has produced an admirable line of insurgents who have been proclaimed heroes such as Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Lapu-Lapu and Gabriela Silang who ignited and united the people to fight for the nation’s freedom from oppressive forces that have long chained the Filipinos’ true identity. These heroes initially did not fit in any classification within the society who have been on the run from the ruling government to stop them from freeing the enslaved nation at the time.

Art imitates life, from the real life stories of these insurgents turned heroes, theirs have been inked on books, painted on canvasses and immortalized on films. To this day, insurgents now come from all classes of society – from the privileged rich, the military to the poorest of the poor whose mission is parallel to the heroes we’ve known throughout history.

In the upcoming adapted movie from the bestselling young adult book “The Divergent Series: Insurgent” from author Veronica Roth, Golden Globe nominee Shailene Woodley leads as one of the insurgents along with a stellar lineup including Theo James and Academy Award®-winner Kate Winslet. Academy Award®-winner Octavia Spencer, Naomi Watts, and Daniel Dae Kim join returning cast members Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Zoë Kravitz, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Maggie Q, and Mekhi Phifer. Young actors Emjay Anthony, Keiynan Lonsdale, Rosa Salazar, Suki Waterhouse and Jonny Weston also join the cast.

From Pioneer Films, “Insurgent” blasts in cinemas nationwide starting March 18 in the Philippines (ahead of US release).