Lavrente Indico Anciro Diaz (born December 30, 1958) is a Filipino independent filmmaker and former film critic. Frequently known as one of the key members of the

slow cinema Slow cinema is a genre of art cinema characterised by a style that is minimalist, observational, and with little or no narrative, and which typically emphasizes long takes.Steven RoseTwo Years At Sea: little happens, nothing is explained ''The Gua ...

movement, having made several of the longest narrative films on record. Diaz is one of the most critically acclaimed contemporary Filipino filmmakers. Diaz started making films in the late 1990s. His first international exposure was at the Hong Kong International Film Festival in 1999 with his directorial debut Serafin Geronimo: Kriminal ng Baryo Concepcion (The Criminal of Barrio Concepcion). The Hong Kong event went on to present his next two features: Naked Under the Moon in 2000 and Batang West Side in 2001. European film festivals only caught on with ''

Norte, the End of History ''Norte, the End of History'' ( fil, Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan) is a 2013 Filipino psychological drama film written and directed by Lav Diaz. Lasting for more than four hours, the film explores themes of crime, class, and family. Screene ...

'' (2013), which was entered into the

Un Certain Regard (, meaning 'a certain glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films w ...

section of the

2013 Cannes Film Festival The 66th Cannes Film Festival took place in Cannes, France, from 15 to 26 May 2013. Steven Spielberg was the head of the jury for the main competition. New Zealand film director Jane Campion was the head of the jury for the Cinéfondation and ...

and received much critical praise. Diaz's subsequent films have likewise received positive critical attention and many awards. '' From What Is Before'' (2014) won the

Golden Leopard The Golden Leopard () is the top prize at the Locarno International Film Festival, an international film festival held annually in Locarno, Switzerland since 1946. Directors in the process of getting an international reputation are allowed to be ...

at the 2014

Locarno International Film Festival The Locarno Film Festival is an annual film festival, held every August in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narrative, documentary, s ...

; ''

A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery ''A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery'' ( fil, Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis) is a 2016 historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inv ...

'' (2016) competed for the Golden Bear at the

66th Berlin International Film Festival The 66th Berlin International Film Festival was held from 11 to 21 February 2016, with American actress Meryl Streep as the President of the Jury. The Honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement was presented to German cinematographer Michael ...

and won the Alfred Bauer Prize(Silver Bear); and ''

The Woman Who Left ''The Woman Who Left'' ( fil, Ang Babaeng Humayo) is a 2016 Philippine drama film written, produced, edited, and directed by Lav Diaz. Filmed entirely in black-and-white, it was selected to compete in the main competition section at the 73rd Ven ...

'' (2016) competed at the

73rd Venice International Film Festival The 73rd annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 31 August to 10 September 2016. English director Sam Mendes was the President of the Jury for the main competition. The opening night film was Damien Chazelle's musical ''La La Lan ...

and won the

Golden Lion The Golden Lion ( it, Leone d'oro) is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most prestigious and distinguis ...

. He received the FAMAS Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. He is the recipient of 2021's Natatanging Gawad Urian (Gawad Urian Lifetime Achievement Award).

Education

Diaz has an economics degree from

Notre Dame University The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...

Cotabato City Cotabato City, officially the City of Cotabato ( Maguindanaon: ''Kuta nu Kutawatu'', Jawi: كوتا نو كوتاواتو; Iranun: ''Bandar a Kotawato'', بندر ا كوتاواتو; fil, Lungsod ng Cotabato), is a third class independent c ...

Career

He has won several international awards such as the award for Best Picture at the Singapore International Film Festival, the Independent Film Festival of Brussels and Gawad Urian in 2002 and Netpac Jury Prize and Best Acting Ensemble (2001 Cinemanila International Film Festival) for his film ''Batang West Side'' (including Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Music, Best Sound at the Urian), in Gawad Urian in 2005 for the film '' Ebolusyon ng Isang Pamilyang Pilipino'' (''Evolution of a Filipino Family''), and Special Jury Prize at the Fribourg International Film Festival in 2006 for ''Heremias, Book One''. His films often tackle the issues regarding the current social and political state of the Philippines. His film ''Kagadanan sa Banwaan ning mga Engkanto'' (''Death in the Land of Encantos''), the Closing Film of the orizzonti section of the Venice Film Festival 2007, was awarded with a Golden Lion Special Mention. ''Death in the Land of Encantos'' was also in competition at the Artistic Innovation Award (Visions) of the Toronto International Film Festival 2007. He was three Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature recognitions (a second place (1990) and an honorable mention (1991) for short stories, and third place (1997) for screenplay). His film ''

Melancholia Melancholia or melancholy (from el, µέλαινα χολή ',Burton, Bk. I, p. 147 meaning black bile) is a concept found throughout ancient, medieval and premodern medicine in Europe that describes a condition characterized by markedly d ...

'' won the Orizzonti Grand Prize at the

65th Venice International Film Festival The 65th annual Venice International Film Festival, held in Venice, Italy, was opened on 27 August 2008 by '' Burn After Reading'',Cine Foundation International Cine Foundation International is London-based non-profit film company and human rights NGO "aiming to 'empower open consciousness through cinema'". The foundation was formed in December 2010 by American filmmaker Jesse Richards, founder of the ...

.Cinefoundation.org
He went back in 2011 at the Venice International Film Festival for his film ''Siglo ng Pagluluwal'' (''Century of Birthing'') and which earned the Grand Jury Prize at the 13th Cinemanila International Film Festival. The following year, his film ''Florentina Hubaldo, CTE'' won Best Asian Film at the

Jeonju International Film Festival Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF, Korean: 전주국제영화제, Hanja: 全州國際映畵祭) is an Asian film festival. It was launched in 2000 as a non-competitive film festival with partial competition. It introduces independent ...

and gained the On-Screen Award at the

Images Festival The Images Festival is a yearly event devoted to independent and experimental film, video art, new media and media installation that takes place each spring in Toronto. History The Images festival was founded in 1987, originally conceived as ...

. His 2013 film ''

'' was screened in the

section of the

66th Cannes Film Festival The 66th Cannes Film Festival took place in Cannes, France, from 15 to 26 May 2013. Steven Spielberg was the head of the jury for the main competition. New Zealand film director Jane Campion was the head of the jury for the Cinéfondation and ...

. He received the

at the 2014

for '' From What Is Before''. At the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival, his film ''

'' was awarded the

Silver Bear 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 fes ...

Alfred Bauer Prize. In the same year, he also received the

at the

for ''

''. Diaz has made crime stories, ghost stories and a musical. On the topic of genre Diaz has said, "it’s nice to dwell on genres because there are formulas there and you can work with them. But at the same time you’re free to break them." He is a recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship in 2010, the Prince Claus Award of the Netherlands in 2014 and The Radcliffe Fellowship of Harvard University, 2016–2017. Diaz was invited by the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motion ...

to join as a member in July 2017. He presents his latest film at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

out of competition, ''When the Waves Are Gone.''

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

Further publications

* Diaz, Lav. ''Batang West Side'', Edition Filmmuseum, 2-disc set, 2022 Österreichisches Filmmuseum * Guarneri, Michael. ''Conversations with Lav Diaz''. Piretti - Bologna - 2021 * Corinne Maury, Olivier Zuchuat (dir.), ''Lav Diaz : faire face'', Paris, Post Editions, 2022, 365 p.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Diaz, Lav 1958 births Filipino film directors Filipino screenwriters Living people People from Maguindanao Directors of Golden Lion winners