Eric Oteyza de Guia (born October 3, 1942), better known as Kidlat Tahimik ("Silent Lightning"), is a film director, writer and actor whose films are commonly associated with the

Third Cinema Third Cinema ( es, Tercer Cine) is a Latin American film movement that started in the 1960s–70s which decries neocolonialism, the capitalist system, and the Hollywood model of cinema as mere entertainment to make money. The term was coined in th ...

movement through their critiques of

neocolonialism Neocolonialism is the continuation or reimposition of imperialist rule by a state (usually, a former colonial power) over another nominally independent state (usually, a former colony). Neocolonialism takes the form of economic imperialism, ...

. For his contributions to the development of Philippine independent cinema, he was recognized in 2018 as a

National Artist of the Philippines The Order of National Artists of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining ng Pilipinas'') is an order bestowed by the Philippines on Filipinos who have made significant contributions to the development of Philipp ...

for Film - a conferment which represents the Philippine state's highest recognition for artists. One of the most prominent names in the Filipino film industry, he has garnered various accolades locally and internationally, including a Plaridel honorarium for independent cinema. He is dubbed by fellow filmmakers and critics as the "Father of Philippine Independent Cinema". In recent years, Tahimik has become a noted installation artist with his works exhibited in various public spaces in the Philippines.

Education

Tahimik attended the

University of the Philippines Diliman , image = University of The Philippines seal.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = Official Logo of UP Diliman , motto = Honor and Excellence , established = February 12, 194 ...

, where he was elected President of the UP Student Council, then known as the University Student Union, from 1962 to 1963. While attending the university he became a member of the

Upsilon Sigma Phi The Upsilon Sigma Phi () is the oldest Greek-letter organization and fraternity in Asia. Founded in 1918, it is also the oldest student organization in continuous existence in the University of the Philippines. It has two chapters — a single ch ...

fraternity. Tahimik studied at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...

Wharton School The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ( ; also known as Wharton Business School, the Wharton School, Penn Wharton, and Wharton) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in ...

, earning a Master in Business Administration. Upon his return, he founded

AIESEC AIESEC is an international youth-run, non-governmental and not-for-profit organization that provides young people with leadership development, cross-cultural internships, and global volunteer exchange experiences. The organization focuses on em ...

in the Philippines. He worked as a researcher for the

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate ...

(OECD) in Paris from 1968 to 1972.

Influences

Tahimik grew up in

Baguio Baguio ( , ), officially the City of Baguio ( ilo, Siudad ti Baguio; fil, Lungsod ng Baguio), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, a summer

resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer's wants, such as food, drink, swimming, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises. The term ''resort ...

community established in the presence of several U.S. Military bases. This experience influenced the themes of his films, most notably the semi-autobiographical '' Perfumed Nightmare'' (1977) and ''

Turumba ''Turumba'' is a 1983 Filipino film written, produced, and directed by Kidlat Tahimik. The film was originally made as a 45-minute short film titled ''Olympic Gold'', commissioned by West German broadcaster ZDF for the 1981 television series ''Vat ...

'' (1983). The latter of these two films provides some insight into the circumstances that brought him to Europe and into the presence of filmmaker

Werner Herzog Werner Herzog (; born 5 September 1942) is a German film director, screenwriter, author, actor, and opera director, regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema. His films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with u ...

, who along with director

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five ...

and his American Zoetrope studio, was instrumental in helping to release ''Perfumed Nightmare'' in the United States.

Personal life

Kidlat's wife is German artist and writer Katrin De Guia. They had three children: Kidlat de Guia (or Kidlat Gottlieb Kalayaan); Kawayan Thor Kalayaan; and Kabunian De Guia (or Kabunian Cedric Enrique). In February 2004, a fire was reported to have spread in their home 4-storey home in

Benguet Benguet (), officially the Province of Benguet ('';'' ; pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Benguet; ilo, Probinsia ti Benguet; ), is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the southern tip of the Cordillera Admi ...

, the

. The family was able to escape safely, but the director's

film stock Film stock is an analog medium that is used for recording motion pictures or animation. It is recorded on by a movie camera, developed, edited, and projected onto a screen using a movie projector. It is a strip or sheet of transparent ...

and collection of art and artifacts were destroyed. He owns the vegetarian cafe Oh My Gulay located at the top of the La Azotea building in

and he also owns and maintains the Ili-Likha Artist's Village which is also in Baguio.

Filmography

Director

Feature films

*'' Perfumed Nightmare'' (1977) *''Who Invented the Yoyo? Who Invented the Moon Buggy?'' (1982) *''

'' (1983) *''Takedera Mon Amour: Diary of a Bamboo Connection'' (1991) *''

Why Is Yellow the Middle of the Rainbow? ''Why Is Yellow the Middle of the Rainbow?'' (, also known as ''I Am Furious... Yellow'') is a 1994 Filipino collage film edited, shot, co-written, and directed by Kidlat Tahimik. Summary It follows the filmmaker and his young son during major ...

'' (with Kidlat Gottlieb Kalayaan; also known as ''I Am Furious... Yellow'', 1989 and 1994) *''BalikBayan #1: Memories of Overdevelopment'' (''Redux III'', 2015; ''Redux VI'', 2017) *''Lakbayan'' (segment: "Kabayan’s Journey to Liwanang", 2018)

Short films

The films listed here are less than 50 minutes in length: *''Yan Ki Made in Hong Kong'' (1980) *''Orbit 50: Letters to My 3 Sons'' (1992) *''Celebrating the Year 2021, Today'' (1995) *''Japanese Summers of a Filipino Fundoshi'' (1996) *''Banal Kahoy (Holy Wood)'' (2000) *''Aqua Planet'' (2003) *''Some More Rice'' (2005) *''Our Film – Grimage to Guimaras'' (2006) *''BUBONG! Roofs of the World! Unite!'' (2006) *''Ang Balikbayan: Memories of Overdevelopment 1980–2010'' (2010)

Television film

*''Olympisches Gold'' (from ''Vater Unser'', 1981)

Writer

*''Perfumed Nightmare'' (1977) *''Turumba'' (1983) *''Why Is Yellow the Middle of the Rainbow?'' (1994) *''BalikBayan #1: Memories of Overdevelopment'' (2015; 2017)

Producer

*''Perfumed Nightmare'' (1977) *''Turumba'' (1983) *''Abong: Small Home'' (2003)

Actor

*'' The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser'' (1974) *''Perfumed Nightmare'' (1977) *''Jag rodnar'' (''I Am Blushing'', 1981) *''Smaragd'' (1987) *''

José Rizal José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (, ; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is considered the national h ...

'' (1998) *''Abong: Small Home'' (2003) *''BalikBayan #1: Memories of Overdevelopment'' (2015; 2017)

Awards and honors

Awards

27th Berlin International Film Festival The 27th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 24 June – 5 July 1977. The festival opened with ''Nickelodeon'' by Peter Bogdanovich. The Golden Bear was awarded to the Soviet Union film '' The Ascent'' directed by Larisa Shep ...

International Critics Award: ''Perfumed Nightmare'' (1977) *

Mannheim Film Festival The Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival (german: Internationales Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg), often referred to by the German-language initialism IFFMH, is an annual film festival established in 1952 hosted jointly by the cit ...

Top Cash Award: ''Turumba'' (1981) * Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize Laureate, Arts and Culture Prize (2012) *

Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fest ...

Caligari Award: ''Balikbayan #1 Memories of Overdevelopment Redux III'' (2015)
Prince Claus Laureate
(2018)

National honours

(Film and Broadcast Arts) (2018)

Honorary degree

* University of the Cordilleras – Doctor of Humanities (August 24, 2018)

References

External links

Website of first complete Kidlat Tahimik retrospective in Berlin 2016
*

Interview with Tahimik on eRenlai.comThe-Artists.org: Kidlat TahimikAmerican Zoetrope Films2010 Taiwan International Documentary Festival Focus Director
{{Authority control 1942 births Living people Filipino film directors Filipino male film actors Filipino screenwriters National Artists of the Philippines People from Baguio People from Ifugao University of the Philippines alumni Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania alumni Filipino film producers Filipino television directors