‘Amo’ by Brillante Mendoza to premiere on Netflix

Directed by Brillante Mendoza, “Amo” will have its global premiere on Netflix on April 9, 2018. It is a Filipino series set on the background of the controversial war on drugs by the government of the Philippines under the leadership of President Rodrigo Duterte.

‘Amo‘ stars Vince Rillon, Derek Ramsay

The story of “Amo” revolves around a high school student named Joseph (Vince Rillon), who peddles crystal meth to his fellow gang members, and Rodrigo Macaraeg (Derek Ramsay), the leader of an undercover police unit. The screenplay was written by Troy Espiritu, who also wrote the screenplay of “Ma’ Rosa,” the fourth film of Mendoza to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival.

The first season of “Amo” has 13 episodes. It was originally scheduled to premiere in the Philippines on TV5 on August 25, 2017 when Netflix acquired it from the television network.

This makes “Amo” the first ever Filipino series to be streamed on Netflix. In a statement, Netflix content acquisition vice president Robert Roy said, “We are always seeking to work with passionate, talented storytellers like Mendoza, to bring premium content to Netflix’s 117 million members around the world.”

For Roy, “Amo” is a “bold and suspenseful show that has the potential of capturing thrill-seeking audiences worldwide.” Meanwhile, TV5 president and chief executive officer Vincent “Chot” Reyes commended Mendoza for doing “a beautiful job in bringing paper to life.”

According to Reyes, the acquisition of “Amo” provides “an additional platform to help share the first-ever Filipino series on Netflix to a worldwide audience.” On top of the high-rating sports content of TV5, the network is open to producing more entertainment content, Reyes said. 

Joining Rillon and Ramsay in the cast of “Amo” are Felix Roco, Allen Dizon, Apollo Abraham and Ruby Ruiz. The Netflix series also features Baron Geisler, Kiko Matos, Angela Cortez, Richard Manabat, Alvin Anson, Mark Dionisio, Neil Perez, Willy Quinto, Archie Adamos, Mara Lopez, Elijah Filamor, Aldrico Padilla, JC Tan, Malak So, Niko de los Santos, Divina Mhelo and Rhea Jai Fernandez, among others.