The Filipino director, Brillante Mendoza, a regular at international film festivals, is competing in San Sebastián for the first time with Alpha, the Right to kill, a story about police corruption in the Manila drug squad, based on the TV series “Amo”that he also directed. Characterized by his visual power, narrative freedom and an interest in social dramas, the Filipino filmmaker explained that, “we based the script on authentic reallife situations, and to do this you need plunge right into the real world that the characters live in, so that the film is both a drama and a documentary”.

However, the director avoided directly commenting on the violent campaign that the Filipino president has unleashed to try and wipe out the illegal drug trade in his country. “My opinion is strictly personal and I would like it to stay that way; I separate my work as a filmmaker from personal matters and I don’t want my opinions to interfere with my films,” he replied.

Mendoza was also able to count on help from the Filipino police. “They didn’t read the script but they gave a lot of support to the film to ensure that the dialogues were authentic,” he explained.