Diwata ng Karagatan
Diwata ng Karagatan is a 1936 Philippine romance film directed by Carlos Vander Tolosa and produced by Parlatone Hispano-Filipino, a studio owned by José Nepomuceno.
Cast
- Mari Velez as the female lead
- Rogelio de la Rosa as the male lead
Production
Diwata ng Karagatan was directed by Carlos Vander Tolosa and produced by José Nepomuceno under his film studio, the Parlatone Hispano-Filipino.Release
Following its premiere in 1936, Diwata ng Karagatan was released again for a three-day exhibition at the Fox Theater in Manila. It was then exported to France, Belgium and South America, where it was dubbed in French and released under alternate titles such as Ligaya, fille de iles and Wong Le Tyrant. The film was reportedly the first Filipino film to be shown in Europe and South America.Lost and rediscovery
During World War II, all known copies of Diwata ng Karagatan were presumed to be lost. However, in 2025, film historian Nick Deocampo discovered a 35 mm print of Ligaya, fille de iles at Cinematek in Belgium, making the film as the oldest surviving Filipino pre-war film. The copy showed evidence of piracy and alteration, as it was edited by a French distributor to be shorter than the original, had rearranged scenes, and featured French narration and credits that replaced the film's original credits.As per the retrieved copy, the film was claimed to be a "documentary of exotic South-sea natives" and follows the same romantic themes with the 1937 film Zamboanga.