‘Edjop,’ starring Elijah Canlas, wraps editing and targets 2026 release

The biopic explores Jopson’s rise from student leader to underground activist during the Marcos regime.

A feature film on Martial Law activist Edgar Jopson, “Edjop,” is set to hit theaters in 2026, says lead actor Elijah Canlas. The film has finished editing and is now in the final stages of post-production—bringing one of the country’s most influential political figures to life.

“They just finished editing the film, and of course, there will be post-prod, VFX, the score, and the sound design,” Canlas disclosed in an interview with radar Entertainment after a recent influencer screening of his other film, “Salvageland,” in Quezon City.

“They’ll be submitting it to a couple of international film festivals, and I think the team is expecting to premiere it [abroad] before releasing it here next year. But definitely next year for ‘Edjop.’”

The film is a historical biopic on the life, political awakening, and demise of martial law activist and student leader Jopson. A former Sanggunian president and management engineering alum of the Ateneo de Manila University, Jopson rose among politically moderate spheres during the Marcos Sr. regime and became president of a passive National Union of Students of the Philippines.

When Jopson boldly demanded that then-President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. step down from his presidency, the dictator chided him as a mere “grocer’s son” and rejected the plea. After the declaration of Martial Law in 1972, Jopson’s political ideology soon radicalized as he engaged with labor workers in protests, shifting from his reformist beliefs into underground work with the Communist Party of the Philippines. In September 1982, Jopson was captured and executed in a military raid in Davao.

Reflecting on the life, work, and death of Edjop, Canlas had joined the Trillion Peso March at EDSA on November 30, with his call to action: “We’re part of this country, too. We pay the people in power. A lot of people are oppressed and we have to fight for them. That’s the least we could do. It’s not just the youth. People of all ages should start caring about the country more and start caring about the oppressed more and give voices to the voiceless.”

Katski Flores’ “Edjop,” produced by Open Water Productions and Origin8media Corp., also features Jodi Sta. Maria, Frankie Pangilinan, and Cedric Juan. 

 

 

They’ll be submitting it to a couple of international film festivals, and I think the team is expecting to premiere it [abroad] before releasing it here next year. But definitely next year for ‘Edjop.’

Elijah Canlas

 

 

READ: