BAYAN KO: KAPIT SA PATALIM

Bayan Ko: My Own Country centres on a brawny, sympathetic Manila print-shop worker, whose political naivety lands him on the wrong side during a strike, and whose anger and frustration finally drive him into crime. Brocka's powerful, compromising film brought worldwide attention towards the poor and the marginalized in his country, although, to accomplish that, he had to smuggle it all the way to Cannes in 1984.
(Agustin L. Sotto)

On August 21, 1983, Benigno \"Ninoy\" Aquino was shot. Being a highly effective speaker, Lino was a rabid rabble-rouser. In November of that year, he made the journey to Nantes, not only to participate in the competition but also to meet a prospective producer. Vera Belmont of Stephan Films was a woman of few words. She liked Lino from the start and decided to put up half the capital. (...) Lino was shooting in late January 1984. It was difficult for him to concentrate on the shooting as he was involved in many protests. It was a miracle that the film was finished in time for Cannes.

Lino Brocka, by his own admission, had to make four or five embarrassingly commercial movies before he could find the chance to do a decent project. This kind of project always ended up to be a story of exploitation, of suffering, of struggle - in other words, a story of our people, our country. (Clodualdo del Mundo, Jr.)