“Combo On The Run,” a documentary on OPM band Eraserheads, has set a new record for the widest North American theatrical release of a Filipino documentary.
The award-winning film opened in over 100 cinemas last April 24.
From left to right: Byron Atienza, Creative Director of Live Nation; Hilarion Banks, one of the film editors and DOP; Maria Diane Ventura, filmmaker, writer and executive producer; Ely Buendia; and Winston Emano one of the film producers
To celebrate the release, Eraserheads frontman Ely Buendia and director-producer Maria Diane Ventura made special appearances in select theaters in California.
In a press release, Buendia expressed gratitude to all those who supported the film’s debut in North America.
“To be embraced by the fans is proof that the film did something right. We didn’t want to let them down because this is their story too. And of course, to have the approval of the critics is icing on the cake. They have different standards and are not as subjective as the fans, so for them to think it was a good film, and a documentary at that, is quite amazing,” Buendia said.
Ely Buendia and director-producer Maria Diane Ventura
Ventura also thanked audiences for the overwhelming reception the film received in its first few days of release.
“It’s incredibly humbling. I feel a deep sense of gratitude to the audiences, to the critics, and to Abramorama for believing in the film and helping bring it to a wider audience. ... What’s been most meaningful, though, is the way people have responded on a personal level. I’ve had people come up to me and share that they found a sense of healing in watching it or that it made them feel proud to be Filipino. Hearing that makes all the hard work and exhaustion worth it. That, to me, is the greatest reward. To see a Filipino story resonate beyond our borders, and to feel that sense of identity and pride reflected back, reminds me why I do this. This film is a love letter to the Filipinos," she said.
"And I think it’s arriving at a time when people are searching for connection. We’re living in a period of division, but the film suggests that even then, there is still a way back to each other, through music, art and through storytelling, one of the few things we still all understand regardless of where we come from,” she added.
Distributed in North America by Abramorama and produced by DVent Pictures, "Eraserheads: Combo On The Run" tells the story of the Philippines’ most influential band, tracing their meteoric rise from their formation in UP Diliman to becoming a defining voice of a generation, their painful breakup, and their eventual resurgence years later.
Set against the backdrop of the Philippines’ shifting socio-political landscape, the film situates the band’s journey within a country grappling with deep political polarization, reflecting how their music and story became intertwined with the nation’s cultural memory.
"Eraserheads: Combo On The Run" is now showing in North America.