Directed by Edward Gross Written by Edward Gross Cinematography Charles Martin | Produced by Harry Brown Initial release 1912 | |
 | ||
Starring Honorio LopezTitay MolinaChananay Distributed by Rizalina Photoplay Company Release date 23 August 1912 (1912-08-23) Similar Country Maiden, Brutal, In the Navel of the Sea, Child of Sorrow, Of the Flesh | ||
La vida de Jose Rizal (The life of Jose Rizal), released in 1912, was the first feature film produced in the Philippines. It was however not the first film released in the country—a rival film, El fusilamiento de Dr. Jose Rizal was released on August 23, one day earlier. La Vida is a silent film that depicts the life of José Rizal, the country's national hero, from his birth to his execution in Luneta.
Americans Harry Brown (producer), Charles Martin (cinematographer), and Edward Gross (scenerist), founded the Rizalina Photoplay Company in 1912 to produce the film, which was adapted from a 1905 stage play by Gross. Containing 22 scenes, the movie's film had a length of 5,000 feet.
The film, together with its rival, garnered financial success and the producers were encouraged to produce other Filipino-themed films.