''Muro-Ami'' () is a 1999

Philippine The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

film directed by

Marilou Diaz-Abaya Marilou Correa Diaz-Abaya (March 30, 1955 – October 8, 2012) was a Filipina multi-award winning film director. She was conferred the Order of National Artists of the Philippines for Film and Broadcast Arts in 2022, she was the founder and pres ...

. It stars

Cesar Montano Cesar Manhilot (born August 1, 1962), known professionally as Cesar Montano (), is a Filipino actor, film producer and film director. Montano started in show business as a commercial model.

as Fredo, a ruthless captain of 150

muro-ami Muro-ami or muroami is a fishing technique employed on coral reefs in Southeast Asia. It uses an encircling net together with pounding devices. These devices usually comprise large stones fitted on ropes that are pounded into the coral reefs. They ...

divers, who employ

illegal fishing Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) is an issue around the world. Fishing industry observers believe IUU occurs in most fisheries, and accounts for up to 30% of total catches in some important fisheries. Illegal fishing takes pl ...

practices, such as pounding and crushing corals to scare fish, driving them towards the nets. It depicts one of the worst forms of

child labor Child labour refers to the exploitation of children through any form of work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. Such e ...

in the illegal fishing system. The film has won 13 out of 14 nominations in the 1999 Metro Manila Film Festival, including Best Picture.

Plot

Fredo (

) is a fisherman who has endured more than his share of hardship in life; his wife and child both perished in a boating accident, and today Fredo approaches each trip to the sea with the angry determination of a man out for revenge. Fredo commands a crew of young people from poor families as he takes his rattletrap ship into the ocean in search of fish that live along the reefs, snaring catch with an illegal netting system. Not all of Fredo's youthful sailors are willing to put up with his abusive arrogance, however, and even his father Dado (

Pen Medina Crispin "Pen" Parungao Medina Sr. (born August 27, 1950, in Arayat, Pampanga) is an actor from the Philippines who started acting in theater plays in his youth. He eventually played versatile roles on the big screen and in various television s ...

) and close friend Botong (

Jhong Hilario Virgilio Viernes Hilario Jr. (born August 11, 1976), professionally known as Jhong Hilario, is a Philippines, Filipino actor, dancer, television host, and politician. He is part of the Filipino dance group ''Streetboys''. He is currently servin ...

) have grown weary of Fredo's tirades. Fredo's body is beginning to betray him as well, and as he and his crew damage the sea's reef beds in search of fish, no one is certain how much longer he will be able to continue.

Cast

as Fredo Obsioma *

as Diosdado "Diyos-Dado" Lacar *

as Botong Maldepena *

Amy Austria Esmeralda Diaz Tuazon (born December 13, 1961), known professionally as Amy Austria-Ventura, is a Filipino film and television actress. Austria is recognized as one of the defining actresses in Philippine cinema. She has won a FAMAS Award, 2 ...

as Susan Bacor *

Rebecca Lusterio Rebecca Lusterio (born 3 December 1989) is a Filipino actress. She won the Gawad Urian and FAMAS awards. She is now married to a Danish national and is currently living in Denmark. Biography Rebecca Lusterio or Bikay for short, made an abrup ...

as Kalbo Kee *Jerome Sales as Filemon Dolotallas *Teodoro Penaranda Jr. as Tibor Lague *Walter Pacatang as Tibo *Ranilo Boquil as Kokoy *Ariel Estoquia Mijos as Bahoy Ballasabas

Accolades

References

External links

* * {{MMFF 1999 films Child labour Films shot in Bohol Environmental impact of fishing GMA Pictures films Philippine drama films 1990s Tagalog-language films Films directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya