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Kamandag ng Droga (transl. The Venom of Drugs[1]) is a 2017 Philippine film directed by Carlo J. Caparas. The film tackles how illegal drugs affect the lives of four teenagers.

Kamandag ng Droga
Directed by	Carlo J. Caparas
Starring	Christopher De Leon Sarah Lahbati Lorna Tolentino Mark Neumann Meg Imperial Ronnie Lazaro CJ Caparas
Production company	Viva Films
Release date	December 5, 2017 (2017-12-05)
Running time	130 minutes
Country	Philippines
Language	Filipino
Budget	₱100 million

Production

Kamandag ng Droga was directed by Carlo J. Caparas, an admitted supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte who is known for his campaign against illegal drugs and whose footage was used in the film. Carparas said that he was inspired to direct the film by his wife who requested him to work on a film that would tackle the "really rampant drug situation" in the country. Caparas and his wife said that they have seen relatives fall to drug addiction.[2]

The production budget for the film produced by Viva Films[3] was ₱100 million.[2] Filming of Kamandag ng Droga was finished in late 2016 but editing work on the film proceeded almost a year later due to the death of Caparas' wife, Donna Villa.[4]

Caparas said that the film is not a propaganda in favor of Duterte and his anti-drug campaign. He says that the film is a "cry against drugs whose effect affects the family of those addicted to them, thus bringing a lot of damage to the entire community" and intends the film as medium to remind Filipinos that the illegal drug situation in the country could be resolved through cooperation with authorities and law enforcers.[1]

Release

The film premiered on December 5, 2017.[3]

Critical reception

Francis Joseph Cruz of Rappler, an editorial news website critical of Duterte was critical of Kamandag ng Droga calling it a "grand showcase of lazy filmmaking" and a propaganda. He described the characters as two-dimensional and their motivation as flimsy. He added that the film's portrayal of the country's illegal drug problem as simplistic.[5]

References

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