Lav Diaz

Lav Diaz

Birth : 1958-12-30, Datu Paglas, Cotabato, Philippines

History

Lavrente Indico Diaz (born December 30, 1958) is a Filipino independent filmmaker. He is known as one of the key members of the slow cinema movement, having made several of the longest narrative films on record. Although he had been making films since the late 90s Diaz didn't attract much public attention outside of the Philippines and the festival circuit until the release of his 2013 film Norte, the End of History, which was entered into Un Certain Regard section of the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. His three subsequent films have received much critical attention and many awards with 2014's From What Is Before earning him the Golden Leopard at the 2014 Locarno International Film Festival as well as a nomination for the Asian Film Award for Best Director, 2016's A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery competing for the Golden Bear at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival and winning the Alfred Bauer Prize, and 2016's The Woman Who Left competing at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival and winning the Golden Lion.

Profile

Lav Diaz

Movies

Schirkoa: In Lies We Trust
Poet (voice)
In a sophisticated near perfect society, citizens live with paper bags on heads to dissolve differences. Tensions rise when the whispers of a mythical land without the bags start to float and a fresh council member sparks an accidental revolution.
Essential Truths of the Lake
Writer
Ethically conflicted police lieutenant Hermes Papauran continues his struggle to find resolution to a 15-year-old case around a volcanic ash laden landscape and an impenetrable lake. A prequel to When the Waves Are Gone.
Essential Truths of the Lake
Editor
Ethically conflicted police lieutenant Hermes Papauran continues his struggle to find resolution to a 15-year-old case around a volcanic ash laden landscape and an impenetrable lake. A prequel to When the Waves Are Gone.
Essential Truths of the Lake
Cinematography
Ethically conflicted police lieutenant Hermes Papauran continues his struggle to find resolution to a 15-year-old case around a volcanic ash laden landscape and an impenetrable lake. A prequel to When the Waves Are Gone.
Essential Truths of the Lake
Screenplay
Ethically conflicted police lieutenant Hermes Papauran continues his struggle to find resolution to a 15-year-old case around a volcanic ash laden landscape and an impenetrable lake. A prequel to When the Waves Are Gone.
Essential Truths of the Lake
Director
Ethically conflicted police lieutenant Hermes Papauran continues his struggle to find resolution to a 15-year-old case around a volcanic ash laden landscape and an impenetrable lake. A prequel to When the Waves Are Gone.
The Devil of Comparisons
Priest
The Devil of Comparisons (original title: El Demonio de las Comparaciones), was a 30-hour black & white silent film from 1929 by Narding Salome Exelsio (1883-1949). It explores the cyclical lives, deaths, and rebirths of Jose Rizal and his characters (played by hitherto unidentified actors) in a wasteland ruled by demons.
When the Waves Are Gone
Production Design
Lieutenant Hermes Papauran, one of the best investigators of the Philippines, is at a deep moral crossroad. As a member of the police forces, he is a first-hand witness of the murderous anti-drug campaign that his institution is implementing with dedication. The atrocities are corroding Hermes physically and spiritually, causing him a severe skin disease resulting from anxiety and guilt. As he tries to heal, a dark past haunts him and has eventually come back for a reckoning.
When the Waves Are Gone
Writer
Lieutenant Hermes Papauran, one of the best investigators of the Philippines, is at a deep moral crossroad. As a member of the police forces, he is a first-hand witness of the murderous anti-drug campaign that his institution is implementing with dedication. The atrocities are corroding Hermes physically and spiritually, causing him a severe skin disease resulting from anxiety and guilt. As he tries to heal, a dark past haunts him and has eventually come back for a reckoning.
When the Waves Are Gone
Director
Lieutenant Hermes Papauran, one of the best investigators of the Philippines, is at a deep moral crossroad. As a member of the police forces, he is a first-hand witness of the murderous anti-drug campaign that his institution is implementing with dedication. The atrocities are corroding Hermes physically and spiritually, causing him a severe skin disease resulting from anxiety and guilt. As he tries to heal, a dark past haunts him and has eventually come back for a reckoning.
A Tale of Filipino Violence
Editor
With the imminent death of his autocratic grandfather, coinciding with the burgeoning oppressive regime of Ferdinand Marcos, Servando Monzon III agonizes on becoming the new feudal lord and capitulating with Marcos’ designs to control the Philippines. He is aware of his clan’s long history of violence; he knows the very violent history of his country; and he foresees a very violent future with the Marcos dictatorship.
A Tale of Filipino Violence
Production Design
With the imminent death of his autocratic grandfather, coinciding with the burgeoning oppressive regime of Ferdinand Marcos, Servando Monzon III agonizes on becoming the new feudal lord and capitulating with Marcos’ designs to control the Philippines. He is aware of his clan’s long history of violence; he knows the very violent history of his country; and he foresees a very violent future with the Marcos dictatorship.
A Tale of Filipino Violence
Screenplay
With the imminent death of his autocratic grandfather, coinciding with the burgeoning oppressive regime of Ferdinand Marcos, Servando Monzon III agonizes on becoming the new feudal lord and capitulating with Marcos’ designs to control the Philippines. He is aware of his clan’s long history of violence; he knows the very violent history of his country; and he foresees a very violent future with the Marcos dictatorship.
A Tale of Filipino Violence
Director
With the imminent death of his autocratic grandfather, coinciding with the burgeoning oppressive regime of Ferdinand Marcos, Servando Monzon III agonizes on becoming the new feudal lord and capitulating with Marcos’ designs to control the Philippines. He is aware of his clan’s long history of violence; he knows the very violent history of his country; and he foresees a very violent future with the Marcos dictatorship.
Ang Pananaghoy
Director
History of Ha
Production Design
Successful ventriloquist Hernando returns home after several years away, with plans to marry his sweetheart and settle down. Heartbroken when things don’t go to plan, Hernando decides he will only communicate with the world through his puppet Ha. The pair accompany a nun, a sex worker and a teenage boy on their way to a remote island where gold has been discovered, a journey that holds fateful consequences.
History of Ha
Editor
Successful ventriloquist Hernando returns home after several years away, with plans to marry his sweetheart and settle down. Heartbroken when things don’t go to plan, Hernando decides he will only communicate with the world through his puppet Ha. The pair accompany a nun, a sex worker and a teenage boy on their way to a remote island where gold has been discovered, a journey that holds fateful consequences.
History of Ha
Director of Photography
Successful ventriloquist Hernando returns home after several years away, with plans to marry his sweetheart and settle down. Heartbroken when things don’t go to plan, Hernando decides he will only communicate with the world through his puppet Ha. The pair accompany a nun, a sex worker and a teenage boy on their way to a remote island where gold has been discovered, a journey that holds fateful consequences.
History of Ha
Writer
Successful ventriloquist Hernando returns home after several years away, with plans to marry his sweetheart and settle down. Heartbroken when things don’t go to plan, Hernando decides he will only communicate with the world through his puppet Ha. The pair accompany a nun, a sex worker and a teenage boy on their way to a remote island where gold has been discovered, a journey that holds fateful consequences.
History of Ha
Director
Successful ventriloquist Hernando returns home after several years away, with plans to marry his sweetheart and settle down. Heartbroken when things don’t go to plan, Hernando decides he will only communicate with the world through his puppet Ha. The pair accompany a nun, a sex worker and a teenage boy on their way to a remote island where gold has been discovered, a journey that holds fateful consequences.
Atravesando el campo
Lav Diaz
A dreamer with a calm and minstrel attitude lays on the grass, recites a poem and makes an offer to a tree. Is he dreaming, or is he a part of a dream? A contemporary peasant dress in a nostalgic revolution’s uniform, goes with his work routine in the countryside, takes care of the cows and thinks about the meaning of death and dream. The real documents and fiction blends into the path of the characters in a rural area in Cuba, and becomes a metaphor of an island inside another island or a dream inside another dream.
Life in 24 Frames a Second
Himself
"Life in 24 Frames a Second" is a film about hardship, misfortune, perseverance and triumph. The personal stories of John Woo (The Killer), Anurag Kashyap (Sacred Games), Rithy Panh (The Missing Picture) and Lav Diaz (The Woman Who Left), who survived extreme poverty, disease, sexual abuse, genocide and civil war to go on to become maestros of world cinema. 'Survivors' united by their abiding love of the movies.
Genus Pan
Director of Photography
Taking leave from their jobs at a gold mine, three workers journey to their home village on foot through the spectacular yet unforgiving wilderness of the mythical island of Hugaw. As time passes and their conversations intensify, buried histories emerge and a sense of psychosis invades the scene. As ever, Lav Diaz’s exquisitely subdued black-and-white images and patient rhythm lend a Brechtian register to the drama; almost always filmed from the same fixed distance, each scene is an immaculate tableau vivant. Behind the film’s folkloric façade, Diaz once again taps into the collective memory of defiant struggles against the tyranny of both contemporary Filipino society and colonial brutality, centred on the timeless image of men walking – one of the key traits of Pan.
Genus Pan
Editor
Taking leave from their jobs at a gold mine, three workers journey to their home village on foot through the spectacular yet unforgiving wilderness of the mythical island of Hugaw. As time passes and their conversations intensify, buried histories emerge and a sense of psychosis invades the scene. As ever, Lav Diaz’s exquisitely subdued black-and-white images and patient rhythm lend a Brechtian register to the drama; almost always filmed from the same fixed distance, each scene is an immaculate tableau vivant. Behind the film’s folkloric façade, Diaz once again taps into the collective memory of defiant struggles against the tyranny of both contemporary Filipino society and colonial brutality, centred on the timeless image of men walking – one of the key traits of Pan.
Genus Pan
Writer
Taking leave from their jobs at a gold mine, three workers journey to their home village on foot through the spectacular yet unforgiving wilderness of the mythical island of Hugaw. As time passes and their conversations intensify, buried histories emerge and a sense of psychosis invades the scene. As ever, Lav Diaz’s exquisitely subdued black-and-white images and patient rhythm lend a Brechtian register to the drama; almost always filmed from the same fixed distance, each scene is an immaculate tableau vivant. Behind the film’s folkloric façade, Diaz once again taps into the collective memory of defiant struggles against the tyranny of both contemporary Filipino society and colonial brutality, centred on the timeless image of men walking – one of the key traits of Pan.
Genus Pan
Director
Taking leave from their jobs at a gold mine, three workers journey to their home village on foot through the spectacular yet unforgiving wilderness of the mythical island of Hugaw. As time passes and their conversations intensify, buried histories emerge and a sense of psychosis invades the scene. As ever, Lav Diaz’s exquisitely subdued black-and-white images and patient rhythm lend a Brechtian register to the drama; almost always filmed from the same fixed distance, each scene is an immaculate tableau vivant. Behind the film’s folkloric façade, Diaz once again taps into the collective memory of defiant struggles against the tyranny of both contemporary Filipino society and colonial brutality, centred on the timeless image of men walking – one of the key traits of Pan.
Liminal
Director of Photography
A FICUNAM commission for four directors, Liminal seeks to play with poetic affinities between film and music. Moving across aesthetic and generational differences, the film-makers explore this relationship through four distinct stories as to context and imaginary.
Liminal
Director
A FICUNAM commission for four directors, Liminal seeks to play with poetic affinities between film and music. Moving across aesthetic and generational differences, the film-makers explore this relationship through four distinct stories as to context and imaginary.
Himala: A Dialectic for Our Times
Director
To this day, Ishmael Bernal's movie Himala is still in our town, in our world. This will be reflected in the broader perspective of the majority, of the surrounding events. Beliefs still lie in the truth. Consciousness is still dominant at the level of illusion. The naive, savage, cruel, and selfish politics still prevail.
Blockbuster Where a Giant Monster Destroys a Town
Sound Recordist
In a village of Cuba devastated after trying to imitate the north american suburb model, a sound recorder tries to tape sounds for an incoming blockbuster about a giant monster that destroys a whole town.
Blockbuster Where a Giant Monster Destroys a Town
Director of Photography
In a village of Cuba devastated after trying to imitate the north american suburb model, a sound recorder tries to tape sounds for an incoming blockbuster about a giant monster that destroys a whole town.
Blockbuster Where a Giant Monster Destroys a Town
Sound Recorder
In a village of Cuba devastated after trying to imitate the north american suburb model, a sound recorder tries to tape sounds for an incoming blockbuster about a giant monster that destroys a whole town.
Mañanita
Writer
An ex-military sniper who was honorably discharged accepts a mission that will indefinitely change her life in the attempts to make ends meet. It is a quiet character study of when your life’s purpose is stripped away, but you still pursue it, only to realise that it could kill you.
Habambuhay: Remembering Philippine Cinema
Himself
A one-of-a-kind legacy project produced by TBA Studios, Habambuhay is a homage to the centennial anniversary of Philippine cinema–an insightfully entertaining documentary series, revisiting the personal experiences of those who work in front of or behind the cameras, those who have shaped the film industry of the Philippines for the longest time.
The Oceans Are the Real Continents
Music
Having Cuba as a background, decadent and in crisis, in a black-and-white lacerated by the Caraibic swinging rain, Alex and Edith, a couple in their 30s, live their love story made of small daily gestures, stories from the past, nostalgia, and a deep intimacy.
The Oceans Are the Real Continents
Executive Producer
Having Cuba as a background, decadent and in crisis, in a black-and-white lacerated by the Caraibic swinging rain, Alex and Edith, a couple in their 30s, live their love story made of small daily gestures, stories from the past, nostalgia, and a deep intimacy.
30th anniversaire of FIDMarseille
Director
For the 30th anniversaire of FIDMarseille about thirty directors have done us the honor of offering us some very beautiful short films.
The Halt
Director of Photography
It is the year 2034 AD and Southeast Asia has been in the dark for the last three years, literally, because the sun hasn’t shone as a result of massive volcanic eruptions at the Celebes Sea in 2031. Madmen control countries, communities, enclaves and bubble cities. Cataclysmic epidemics razed over the continent. Millions have died and millions have left.
The Halt
Production Design
It is the year 2034 AD and Southeast Asia has been in the dark for the last three years, literally, because the sun hasn’t shone as a result of massive volcanic eruptions at the Celebes Sea in 2031. Madmen control countries, communities, enclaves and bubble cities. Cataclysmic epidemics razed over the continent. Millions have died and millions have left.
The Halt
Editor
It is the year 2034 AD and Southeast Asia has been in the dark for the last three years, literally, because the sun hasn’t shone as a result of massive volcanic eruptions at the Celebes Sea in 2031. Madmen control countries, communities, enclaves and bubble cities. Cataclysmic epidemics razed over the continent. Millions have died and millions have left.
The Halt
Writer
It is the year 2034 AD and Southeast Asia has been in the dark for the last three years, literally, because the sun hasn’t shone as a result of massive volcanic eruptions at the Celebes Sea in 2031. Madmen control countries, communities, enclaves and bubble cities. Cataclysmic epidemics razed over the continent. Millions have died and millions have left.
The Halt
Director
It is the year 2034 AD and Southeast Asia has been in the dark for the last three years, literally, because the sun hasn’t shone as a result of massive volcanic eruptions at the Celebes Sea in 2031. Madmen control countries, communities, enclaves and bubble cities. Cataclysmic epidemics razed over the continent. Millions have died and millions have left.
Journey
Director
This is a Filipino omnibus film about three different journeys.
The Boy Who Chose the Earth
Director
The boy has something to do in his life, he trains himself and makes plans. Then there is a knock on the door and something pulls away and he literally stays in the rain. Lightning and thunder patter the water, devouring everything. Incredulous, the boy looks up to heaven - is this his destiny?
Season of the Devil
Editor
In the late 70s, a gang of militias under the control of the military, terrorizes a remote village in the Philippines. The poet/teacher/activist, Hugo Haniway, decides to find out the truth about the disappearance of his wife. A love story set in the darkest period of Philippine history, the Marcos Dictatorship. Based on real events and real characters.
Season of the Devil
Music
In the late 70s, a gang of militias under the control of the military, terrorizes a remote village in the Philippines. The poet/teacher/activist, Hugo Haniway, decides to find out the truth about the disappearance of his wife. A love story set in the darkest period of Philippine history, the Marcos Dictatorship. Based on real events and real characters.
Season of the Devil
Writer
In the late 70s, a gang of militias under the control of the military, terrorizes a remote village in the Philippines. The poet/teacher/activist, Hugo Haniway, decides to find out the truth about the disappearance of his wife. A love story set in the darkest period of Philippine history, the Marcos Dictatorship. Based on real events and real characters.
Season of the Devil
Director
In the late 70s, a gang of militias under the control of the military, terrorizes a remote village in the Philippines. The poet/teacher/activist, Hugo Haniway, decides to find out the truth about the disappearance of his wife. A love story set in the darkest period of Philippine history, the Marcos Dictatorship. Based on real events and real characters.
Lily
Drunk Man
Stories abound in Cebu about a woman rumored to be a murderous monster, but behind the myth is a mother seeking justice.
The Woman Who Left
Co-Producer
After spending the last 30 years in prison, Horacia is immediately released when someone else confessed to the crime. Still overwhelmed by her new freedom, she comes to the painful realization that her aristocratic former lover had set her up. As kidnappings targeting the wealthy begin to proliferate, Horacia sees the opportunity to plot her revenge.
The Woman Who Left
Cinematography
After spending the last 30 years in prison, Horacia is immediately released when someone else confessed to the crime. Still overwhelmed by her new freedom, she comes to the painful realization that her aristocratic former lover had set her up. As kidnappings targeting the wealthy begin to proliferate, Horacia sees the opportunity to plot her revenge.
The Woman Who Left
Editor
After spending the last 30 years in prison, Horacia is immediately released when someone else confessed to the crime. Still overwhelmed by her new freedom, she comes to the painful realization that her aristocratic former lover had set her up. As kidnappings targeting the wealthy begin to proliferate, Horacia sees the opportunity to plot her revenge.
The Woman Who Left
Screenplay
After spending the last 30 years in prison, Horacia is immediately released when someone else confessed to the crime. Still overwhelmed by her new freedom, she comes to the painful realization that her aristocratic former lover had set her up. As kidnappings targeting the wealthy begin to proliferate, Horacia sees the opportunity to plot her revenge.
The Woman Who Left
Director
After spending the last 30 years in prison, Horacia is immediately released when someone else confessed to the crime. Still overwhelmed by her new freedom, she comes to the painful realization that her aristocratic former lover had set her up. As kidnappings targeting the wealthy begin to proliferate, Horacia sees the opportunity to plot her revenge.
Singing in Graveyards
Paul
Pepe, a 68-year-old impersonator of a Filipino rock legend, lives alone on the borders of reality, imagination and mysticism. One day, he is finally given the chance to open for the rock legend’s concert but he must do something neither of them has done before – write a love song.
The Day Before the End
Writer
In the year 2050, the Philippines braces for the coming of the fiercest storm ever to hit the country. And as the wind and waters start to rage, poets wander the streets.
The Day Before the End
Director
In the year 2050, the Philippines braces for the coming of the fiercest storm ever to hit the country. And as the wind and waters start to rage, poets wander the streets.
A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery
Screenplay
Andrés Bonifacio is celebrated as the father of the Philippines Revolution against Spanish colonial rule. This eight-hour epic examines this myth, undertaking an expedition into history through various interwoven narrative threads, held together by an exploration of the individual’s role in history.
A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery
Editor
Andrés Bonifacio is celebrated as the father of the Philippines Revolution against Spanish colonial rule. This eight-hour epic examines this myth, undertaking an expedition into history through various interwoven narrative threads, held together by an exploration of the individual’s role in history.
A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery
Producer
Andrés Bonifacio is celebrated as the father of the Philippines Revolution against Spanish colonial rule. This eight-hour epic examines this myth, undertaking an expedition into history through various interwoven narrative threads, held together by an exploration of the individual’s role in history.
A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery
Director
Andrés Bonifacio is celebrated as the father of the Philippines Revolution against Spanish colonial rule. This eight-hour epic examines this myth, undertaking an expedition into history through various interwoven narrative threads, held together by an exploration of the individual’s role in history.
Salvage
Nilalang
A news team investigating rumors of aswang killings in a remote barrio are attacked by a group of soldiers, forcing them to run for their lives in the deeps of the forest, where more mystery and danger lay in wait.
The Last Pinoy Action King
Himself
An intimate and often heartbreaking portrait of one of the Philippines' most beloved screen icons.
Wake (Subic)
Music
First begun in 2006, WAKE (SUBIC) completes the documentary diptych, FOR EXAMPLE, THE PHILIPPINES, the first part of which, VAPOR TRAIL (CLARK) was released in 2010. Collectively this nine-hour essay explores circumstances of toxic contamination around the former US military bases in the Philippines as the locus for a meditation on historical amnesia, colonial privilege, and the consequences of unchecked militarism. Interweaving both cinéma-vérité and interview footage of Filipino victims and their families, environmental spokespersons, and community activists, along with early photographic material pertaining to the Philippine-American War, partisan songs, historical texts, and landscape photography, both films are an attempt to construct a work capable of rendering some measure of this human and environmental tragedy and the complexities of its remedy.
Fragment
Writer
Fragment is an omnibus film celebrating the strength and diversity of South-East Asian independent cinema. Made up of a collage of ten stories, each story distinctively embraces the other's subjectivities through the collective sentiments of vulnerability and fortitude. This film is commissioned by the Asian Film Archive (AFA) for its tenth anniversary celebrations.
Fragment
Director
Fragment is an omnibus film celebrating the strength and diversity of South-East Asian independent cinema. Made up of a collage of ten stories, each story distinctively embraces the other's subjectivities through the collective sentiments of vulnerability and fortitude. This film is commissioned by the Asian Film Archive (AFA) for its tenth anniversary celebrations.
Salamat sa Alaala
Himself
The documentary serves as a tribute to National Artist for Cinema Gerardo de Leon in celebration of his Centennial Year. “Salamat sa Alaala.” is inspired by the music composed by the late film director when he was a teenager playing background music for silent movies in Manila theatres. The video opens up with a capsulated history of the birth of the Filipino movies followed by a series of shots of veteran actresses, the academe and the young generation of filmmakers affirming his unique qualities as a world-class film figure. Then we unravel his private life as a family man. The documentary is one way of thanking him for his lasting legacy in the art form he left behind.
Lorna
Lorna is sixty year old woman who is constantly searching for the right man, having failed at so many relationships. Having lived close to a lifetime alone, she decides to take another stab at moving on and more importantly, love.
Storm Children, Book One
Editor
The Philippines is visited by an average of 20~28 strong typhoons and storms every year. It is the most storm-battered country in the world. Last year, Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), considered the strongest storm in history, struck the Philipines, leaving in its path apocalyptic devastation.
Storm Children, Book One
Cinematography
The Philippines is visited by an average of 20~28 strong typhoons and storms every year. It is the most storm-battered country in the world. Last year, Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), considered the strongest storm in history, struck the Philipines, leaving in its path apocalyptic devastation.
Storm Children, Book One
Director
The Philippines is visited by an average of 20~28 strong typhoons and storms every year. It is the most storm-battered country in the world. Last year, Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), considered the strongest storm in history, struck the Philipines, leaving in its path apocalyptic devastation.
From What Is Before
Writer
The Philippines, 1972. Mysterious things are happening in a remote barrio. Wails are heard from the forest, cows are hacked to death, a man is found bleeding to death at the crossroad and houses are burned. Ferdinand E. Marcos announces Proclamation No. 1081 putting the entire country under Martial Law.
From What Is Before
Editor
The Philippines, 1972. Mysterious things are happening in a remote barrio. Wails are heard from the forest, cows are hacked to death, a man is found bleeding to death at the crossroad and houses are burned. Ferdinand E. Marcos announces Proclamation No. 1081 putting the entire country under Martial Law.
From What Is Before
Cinematography
The Philippines, 1972. Mysterious things are happening in a remote barrio. Wails are heard from the forest, cows are hacked to death, a man is found bleeding to death at the crossroad and houses are burned. Ferdinand E. Marcos announces Proclamation No. 1081 putting the entire country under Martial Law.
From What Is Before
Director
The Philippines, 1972. Mysterious things are happening in a remote barrio. Wails are heard from the forest, cows are hacked to death, a man is found bleeding to death at the crossroad and houses are burned. Ferdinand E. Marcos announces Proclamation No. 1081 putting the entire country under Martial Law.
Echoserang Frog
An industry veteran is given a chance to produce and star in his own movie. But he quickly finds movie production isn't quite as glamorous as it seems.
The Legend of China Doll
Screenplay
A journalist investigates a woman with the name of China Doll. Soon, he discovers his knowledge of her turns out to be dangerous.
Prologue to the Great Desaparecido
Editor
Andrés Bonifacio, the freedom fighter known as the father of the Philippine revolution, was executed by rival revolutionaries in 1897. His wife, Gregoria de Jesus, searched for his body in the mountains for 30 days. It was never found.
Prologue to the Great Desaparecido
Director of Photography
Andrés Bonifacio, the freedom fighter known as the father of the Philippine revolution, was executed by rival revolutionaries in 1897. His wife, Gregoria de Jesus, searched for his body in the mountains for 30 days. It was never found.
Prologue to the Great Desaparecido
Writer
Andrés Bonifacio, the freedom fighter known as the father of the Philippine revolution, was executed by rival revolutionaries in 1897. His wife, Gregoria de Jesus, searched for his body in the mountains for 30 days. It was never found.
Prologue to the Great Desaparecido
Director
Andrés Bonifacio, the freedom fighter known as the father of the Philippine revolution, was executed by rival revolutionaries in 1897. His wife, Gregoria de Jesus, searched for his body in the mountains for 30 days. It was never found.
Norte, The End of History
Editor
A man is wrongly jailed for murder while the real killer roams free. The murderer is an intellectual frustrated with his country’s never-ending cycle of betrayal and apathy. The convict is a simple man who finds life in prison more tolerable, when something mysterious and strange starts happening to him.
Norte, The End of History
Screenplay
A man is wrongly jailed for murder while the real killer roams free. The murderer is an intellectual frustrated with his country’s never-ending cycle of betrayal and apathy. The convict is a simple man who finds life in prison more tolerable, when something mysterious and strange starts happening to him.
Norte, The End of History
Director
A man is wrongly jailed for murder while the real killer roams free. The murderer is an intellectual frustrated with his country’s never-ending cycle of betrayal and apathy. The convict is a simple man who finds life in prison more tolerable, when something mysterious and strange starts happening to him.
The Firefly
Director of Photography
A short film made for "Venezia 70 - Future Reloaded."
The Firefly
Writer
A short film made for "Venezia 70 - Future Reloaded."
The Firefly
Director
A short film made for "Venezia 70 - Future Reloaded."
Venice 70: Future Reloaded
Director
Made for the Venice Film Festival's 70th anniversary, seventy filmmakers made a short film between 60 and 90 seconds long on their interpretation of the future of cinema.
Colossal
Shaman
Colossal explores the complexities of grief and the process of grieving as understood through the myth of a Man as he ventures through shifting landscapes ruminating.
An Investigation on the Night That Won't Forget
Writer
Erwin Romulo, the late Alexis Tioseco’s best friend, recalls the events after the critic and his girlfriend’s untimely death in their home in Quezon City. Diaz makes use of one long take to allow Romulo an uninterrupted narration of the events. The pain of recalling is palpable.
An Investigation on the Night That Won't Forget
Cinematography
Erwin Romulo, the late Alexis Tioseco’s best friend, recalls the events after the critic and his girlfriend’s untimely death in their home in Quezon City. Diaz makes use of one long take to allow Romulo an uninterrupted narration of the events. The pain of recalling is palpable.
An Investigation on the Night That Won't Forget
Editor
Erwin Romulo, the late Alexis Tioseco’s best friend, recalls the events after the critic and his girlfriend’s untimely death in their home in Quezon City. Diaz makes use of one long take to allow Romulo an uninterrupted narration of the events. The pain of recalling is palpable.
An Investigation on the Night That Won't Forget
Director
Erwin Romulo, the late Alexis Tioseco’s best friend, recalls the events after the critic and his girlfriend’s untimely death in their home in Quezon City. Diaz makes use of one long take to allow Romulo an uninterrupted narration of the events. The pain of recalling is palpable.
Jingle lang ang Pahina
Jingle Chordbook Magazine, first published in 1970, promptly taught a generation of Filipinos to play the guitar. Its story also explores how a small independent publication survived the weight of its time – the dark Martial Law years – and how it inspired the Filipino youth to think for themselves and wield the guitar like a weapon. The documentary “Jingle Lang Ang Pahina” tells the story of Jingle, its ragtag crew, and its loyal fans in a rambling, multi-layered narrative told in different voices and perspectives by the writers, artists, fans, collectors, musicians, freaks.
Florentina Hubaldo, CTE
Sound
In a rural area, a father forces his daughter into prostitution. Somewhere else, two men embark on a quest for a buried treasure.
Florentina Hubaldo, CTE
Editor
In a rural area, a father forces his daughter into prostitution. Somewhere else, two men embark on a quest for a buried treasure.
Florentina Hubaldo, CTE
Cinematography
In a rural area, a father forces his daughter into prostitution. Somewhere else, two men embark on a quest for a buried treasure.
Florentina Hubaldo, CTE
Producer
In a rural area, a father forces his daughter into prostitution. Somewhere else, two men embark on a quest for a buried treasure.
Florentina Hubaldo, CTE
Screenplay
In a rural area, a father forces his daughter into prostitution. Somewhere else, two men embark on a quest for a buried treasure.
Florentina Hubaldo, CTE
Director
In a rural area, a father forces his daughter into prostitution. Somewhere else, two men embark on a quest for a buried treasure.
The Great Cinema Party
A group of friends, sharing a passion for cinema, assemble in Corregidor, a small island in Manila Bay that has preserved relics from the Pacific War as its foremost attractions. There, they explore the island and retire in a rustic mansion used once to make silent films. Outside the city, the woods and sea become a meeting place for more movie personalities and it all becomes a celebration of what was left behind.
Jeonju Digital Project 2012
Century of Birthing
Cinematography
An artist struggles to finish his work while a storyline about a cult plays in his head.
Century of Birthing
Editor
An artist struggles to finish his work while a storyline about a cult plays in his head.
Century of Birthing
Music
An artist struggles to finish his work while a storyline about a cult plays in his head.
Century of Birthing
Writer
An artist struggles to finish his work while a storyline about a cult plays in his head.
Century of Birthing
Director
An artist struggles to finish his work while a storyline about a cult plays in his head.
Elegy to the Visitor from the Revolution
Director of Photography
Deliberately structured and less beholden to its narrative, the film is told in three parts, with each part pertaining to each of the three visits of the time-travelling visitor from when the country was fighting for independence from Spain.
Elegy to the Visitor from the Revolution
Editor
Deliberately structured and less beholden to its narrative, the film is told in three parts, with each part pertaining to each of the three visits of the time-travelling visitor from when the country was fighting for independence from Spain.
Babae ng Hangin
Screenplay
Says Sister Angela, the woman of the wind: "I’m not just having sex, Father. Yes, there is lust. I'm not a hypocrite. But my main discourse is the purpose of this body. To be very blunt, Father, we only live once. I want to understand and feel the use of my breasts, my vagina, my mouth, and all parts of my body. In my view, I can only move to the next level, on the so-called spirituality, once I've addressed the issues of my physical being. In my view, there is a need to destroy that physical being, our animalistic nature, before we can achieve true spirituality. Let’s crush the animal in the man, Father. That’s fundamental to me."
Babae ng Hangin
Director
Says Sister Angela, the woman of the wind: "I’m not just having sex, Father. Yes, there is lust. I'm not a hypocrite. But my main discourse is the purpose of this body. To be very blunt, Father, we only live once. I want to understand and feel the use of my breasts, my vagina, my mouth, and all parts of my body. In my view, I can only move to the next level, on the so-called spirituality, once I've addressed the issues of my physical being. In my view, there is a need to destroy that physical being, our animalistic nature, before we can achieve true spirituality. Let’s crush the animal in the man, Father. That’s fundamental to me."
Elegy to the Visitor from the Revolution
Screenplay
Deliberately structured and less beholden to its narrative, the film is told in three parts, with each part pertaining to each of the three visits of the time-travelling visitor from when the country was fighting for independence from Spain.
Elegy to the Visitor from the Revolution
Director
Deliberately structured and less beholden to its narrative, the film is told in three parts, with each part pertaining to each of the three visits of the time-travelling visitor from when the country was fighting for independence from Spain.
Retour à Manille: Le cinéma Philippin
himself
Documentary about the history of Philippine cinema.
Independencia
Townspeople
Early 20th century Philippines. The sounds of war signal the arrival of the Americans. A mother and son flee to the mountains, hoping for a quiet life. One day, the son discovers a wounded woman in the middle of the forest, and decides to bring her home.
Philippine New Wave: This Is Not a Film Movement
Himself
Documentary profiling the directors involved in the loose Philippine New Wave filmmaking movement.
Visitors
Director
Hong Sang-Soo’s Lost in the Mountains (South Korea, 32min) the visitor is the supremely self-centred Mi-Sook, who drives to Jeonju on impulse to see her classmate Jin-Young – only to discover that her friend is having an affair with their married professor, who Mi-Sook once dated herself. The level of social embarrassment goes off the scale. In Naomi Kawase’s Koma (Japan, 34min), Kang Jun-Il travels to a village in rural Japan to honour his grandfather’s dying wish by returning a Buddhist scroll to its ancestral home. Amid ancient superstitions, a new relationship forms. And in Lav Diaz’ Butterflies Have No Memories (Philippines, 42min) ‘homecoming queen’ Carol returns to the economically depressed former mining town she came from – and becomes the target of an absurd kidnapping plot hatched by resentful locals. Serving as his own writer, cameraman and editor, Diaz casts the film entirely from members of his crew and delivers a well-seasoned mix of social realism and fantasy. —bfi
Himpapawid
Inspired by a true news account, this is the astounding story of a lone deranged hijacker who has struggled to survive in the chaos of modern Philippine society.
Butterflies Have No Memories
Producer
Ferding, Santos and Willy only drink in despair. One day, a Canadian woman’s visit changes everything.
Butterflies Have No Memories
Writer
Ferding, Santos and Willy only drink in despair. One day, a Canadian woman’s visit changes everything.
Butterflies Have No Memories
Director of Photography
Ferding, Santos and Willy only drink in despair. One day, a Canadian woman’s visit changes everything.
Butterflies Have No Memories
Director
Ferding, Santos and Willy only drink in despair. One day, a Canadian woman’s visit changes everything.
Manila
Director
A tribute to filmmakers and National Artists Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal. In the "Day" segment, Piolo Pacual portrays the role of William, a drug addict who tries to rebuild his sense of self and reconnect with the people around him. For the "Night" segment, Pascual portrays the role of Philip, who works as a bodyguard for a mayor's son. The bodyguard believes that his boss considers him as part of the family but after a shooting incident, he realizes his real worth to his boss. As he struggles to hide, he is slowly consumed by the claws of darkness lurking the city.
Melancholia
Editor
A story about victims of summary executions. Three people start a strange therapy to escape their agonies.
Melancholia
Cinematography
A story about victims of summary executions. Three people start a strange therapy to escape their agonies.
Melancholia
Writer
A story about victims of summary executions. Three people start a strange therapy to escape their agonies.
Melancholia
Director
A story about victims of summary executions. Three people start a strange therapy to escape their agonies.
Upheaval
Writer
Performance piece by Lav Diaz.
Upheaval
Director
Performance piece by Lav Diaz.
Death in the Land of Encantos
Editor
A Filipino poet returns home after the typhoon.
Death in the Land of Encantos
Writer
A Filipino poet returns home after the typhoon.
Death in the Land of Encantos
Cinematography
A Filipino poet returns home after the typhoon.
Death in the Land of Encantos
Director
A Filipino poet returns home after the typhoon.
Heremias: Book One - The Legend of the Lizard Princess
Writer
A wandering peddler separates from his fellow salesman and becomes involved with criminals in the jungle.
Heremias: Book One - The Legend of the Lizard Princess
Editor
A wandering peddler separates from his fellow salesman and becomes involved with criminals in the jungle.
Heremias: Book One - The Legend of the Lizard Princess
Director
A wandering peddler separates from his fellow salesman and becomes involved with criminals in the jungle.
Image Nation
Writer
Imahe Nasyon is a groundbreaking, conceptual omnibus film by 20 alternative filmmakers who were tasked to present their personal visions on national issues. Renowned line producers Jon and Carol Red hatched the idea of revisiting the 1986 EDSA revolution, challenging directors to answer the question "What happened after 1986?" with a short film not longer than five minutes each. Despite individual techniques, the same goal is shared: to depict a truthful image of the nation at present.
Image Nation
Director
Imahe Nasyon is a groundbreaking, conceptual omnibus film by 20 alternative filmmakers who were tasked to present their personal visions on national issues. Renowned line producers Jon and Carol Red hatched the idea of revisiting the 1986 EDSA revolution, challenging directors to answer the question "What happened after 1986?" with a short film not longer than five minutes each. Despite individual techniques, the same goal is shared: to depict a truthful image of the nation at present.
Todo Todo Teros
Himself
Basically an artist is also a terrorist, the protagonist thinks in an unguarded moment. And if he is a terrorist after all, then he might just as well be one. Not an instant product, but an experimental feature in which diary material is brought together to form an intriguing puzzle.
Evolution of a Filipino Family
Editor
An intimate epic made with uncompromising and austere seriousness that patiently and methodically observes the collapse and hopeful revival of a poor farming clan.
Evolution of a Filipino Family
Producer
An intimate epic made with uncompromising and austere seriousness that patiently and methodically observes the collapse and hopeful revival of a poor farming clan.
Evolution of a Filipino Family
Story
An intimate epic made with uncompromising and austere seriousness that patiently and methodically observes the collapse and hopeful revival of a poor farming clan.
Evolution of a Filipino Family
Screenplay
An intimate epic made with uncompromising and austere seriousness that patiently and methodically observes the collapse and hopeful revival of a poor farming clan.
Evolution of a Filipino Family
Director
An intimate epic made with uncompromising and austere seriousness that patiently and methodically observes the collapse and hopeful revival of a poor farming clan.
Headless
The start of the film sets the tone. A tortured man looks as if he will castrate himself. Later he staggers aimlessly and bleeding heavily through the streets of a town that is just waking up. In parallel, the film shows the marital discussions of a couple, with the husband hiding behind the camera.
Jesus the Revolutionary
Writer
A man named Jesus takes on the ruling military junta.
Jesus the Revolutionary
Director
A man named Jesus takes on the ruling military junta.
West Side Avenue
Screenplay
A Filipino teenager is shot to death on the sidewalk of New Jersey, USA. An investigation starts into his death. His family members and friends are interviewed. Along the way, we find out not only more about him but about the community of Filipinos in America in general, including the destructive effect of the drug "shabu" on its youth. The detective who handles the case also has his own personal demons to settle with his violent past.
West Side Avenue
Director
A Filipino teenager is shot to death on the sidewalk of New Jersey, USA. An investigation starts into his death. His family members and friends are interviewed. Along the way, we find out not only more about him but about the community of Filipinos in America in general, including the destructive effect of the drug "shabu" on its youth. The detective who handles the case also has his own personal demons to settle with his violent past.
Hubad sa Ilalim ng Buwan
Screenplay
A young woman recalls how her father (a fallen priest), her mother (a woman with a secret past) and her teenage sister returned with her to live in their ancestral home after the family business failed. She was plagued with mysterious problems of sleepwalking and began a romance with a young man who tried to cure her.
Hubad sa Ilalim ng Buwan
Director
A young woman recalls how her father (a fallen priest), her mother (a woman with a secret past) and her teenage sister returned with her to live in their ancestral home after the family business failed. She was plagued with mysterious problems of sleepwalking and began a romance with a young man who tried to cure her.
Burger Boy's
Screenplay
A terribly cool, hip youth film that throws awareness to the winds of MTV rock and roll, and post Generation- X teenage wasteland fantasies.
Burger Boy's
Director
A terribly cool, hip youth film that throws awareness to the winds of MTV rock and roll, and post Generation- X teenage wasteland fantasies.
Serafin Geronimo: The Criminal of Barrio Concepcion
Screenplay
A lowly farmer whose wife is afflicted with a lingering illness gets involved in kidnapping that goes awry and culminates in tragedy. Years later, he turns to a crusading lady journalist to confess the details of the sensational crime that remains unsolved.
Serafin Geronimo: The Criminal of Barrio Concepcion
Director
A lowly farmer whose wife is afflicted with a lingering illness gets involved in kidnapping that goes awry and culminates in tragedy. Years later, he turns to a crusading lady journalist to confess the details of the sensational crime that remains unsolved.
Mabuting Kaibigan Masamang Kaaway
Screenplay
It's the story of friendship and betrayal.
Beatrice, The Wife
Screenplay
Historical drama in black and white. We follow the life of Beatrice Barbosa de Magallanes in contrast to the voyage of Ferdinand Magellan, her husband. Beatrice fights for her survival and that of her children, while the navigator tries to carry out an impossible maritime expedition. Beatrice will die young, in a world too old for her.
Beatrice, The Wife
Director
Historical drama in black and white. We follow the life of Beatrice Barbosa de Magallanes in contrast to the voyage of Ferdinand Magellan, her husband. Beatrice fights for her survival and that of her children, while the navigator tries to carry out an impossible maritime expedition. Beatrice will die young, in a world too old for her.
Ang Araw ng Itim na Nazareno
Director
Henrico's Farm
Writer
The film begins in Frankfurt, where Lailani, now 65, awaits a plane to Manila. She is returning home to the Philippines for the first time in 30 years. En route home, she delays her return by stopping over in Singapore. Her interactions with her fellow Filipinos help her reflect on the nature of her loss, the cycle of sacrifice and longing that marks them all. Gripped by the fear of returning home to a life she has left behind but is still intricately connected to, she finds moments of enchantment among other lost souls. They have created their ways of living with disenchantment through a Dreamtime that shelters them from the storms of trauma.
Henrico's Farm
Director
The film begins in Frankfurt, where Lailani, now 65, awaits a plane to Manila. She is returning home to the Philippines for the first time in 30 years. En route home, she delays her return by stopping over in Singapore. Her interactions with her fellow Filipinos help her reflect on the nature of her loss, the cycle of sacrifice and longing that marks them all. Gripped by the fear of returning home to a life she has left behind but is still intricately connected to, she finds moments of enchantment among other lost souls. They have created their ways of living with disenchantment through a Dreamtime that shelters them from the storms of trauma.
Heremias: Book Two - The Legend of The Invisible Island
Director
sequel to "Heremias Book One : The Legend of the Lizard Princess"