Rodolfo "Jun" Robles Lana Jr. (born October 10, 1972) is a
Filipino filmmaker. The winner of 11
Palanca Awards for Literature, he became the youngest member of the
Palanca Hall of Fame in 2006.
In 2015, he directed the actual
one-shot film
A one-shot film (also known as a one-take film, single-take film, or continuous shot feature film) is a full-length movie filmed in one long take by a single camera, or manufactured to give the impression it was.
Use and theory
In a 2019 artic ...
, ''Shadow Behind The Moon'', which won the Best Director, NETPAC and FIPRESCI awards at the 13th Pacific Meridian Film Festival. At the 20th International Film Festival of Kerala, he won the Best Director award for the same film.
Writing career
He was born Rodolfo Lana Jr. in
Makati
Makati ( ; ), officially the City of Makati (), is a highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines, known for being one of the leading financial centers in the country. As of 2013, the city has the highest concent ...
, and attended local schools.
Interested in writing from an early age, he began to write and submit plays in Filipino language to competitions. He has adopted Jun Lana as his pen name. At age 19, he received an "Honorable Mention" citation in the 1991 Palanca Awards in the category ''Dulang May Isang Yugto'' (One-Act Play in
Filipino), for his play ''Eksodo''. The following year, Lana won Third Prize in the same category for ''Churchill''.
In the next eight years, Lana won nine more Palanca Awards for his Filipino-language
screenplay
A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a '' teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of w ...
s and
teleplay
A teleplay is a screenplay or script used in the production of a scripted television program or series. In general usage, the term is most commonly seen in reference to a standalone production, such as a television film, a television play, or a ...
s, including First Prizes for the screenplays ''Karinyo-Brutal'' (1995) and ''Mga Bangka sa Tag-araw'' (1996); and for the teleplays ''Sa Daigdig ng mga Taksil'' (1995), and together with Peter Ong Lim, for ''Pula'' (1997).
In 2006, Lana's teleplay ''Milagrosa'' won his fifth First Prize Palanca Award and his 11th overall. With his fifth First Prize, Lana was inducted into the Palanca Hall of Fame.
Film and television work
Since 1998, Lana has written screenplays for such directors as Marilou Diaz-Abaya Mel Chionglo and Maryo J. de los Reyes. His screenplay for Diaz-Abaya's ''Sa Pusod ng Dagat'' (1998) won Lana the Best Screenplay award from the Brussels European Film Festival, Brussels International Film Festival in 1998.
He has won two
FAMAS Best Screenplay awards — in 1998 for ''
Jose Rizal
Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph.
Given name Mishnaic and Talmudic periods
* Jose ben Abin
* Jose ben Akabya
*Jose the Galilean
* Jose ben Halaft ...
'' (shared with Ricky Lee and Peter Ong Lim) and in 1999 for ''Soltera'' (shared with Jerry Lopez Sineneng). His screenplay for ''Jose Rizal'' also won awards from the
Metro Manila Film Festival
The Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is an annual film festival organized by the Metro Manila Development Authority and held nationwide in the Philippines. The festival, which runs from Christmas Day through New Year's Day and into first weeke ...
and the Star Awards for Movies. In 2005, Lana's Palanca-award-winning play ''Mga Estranghero at ang Gabi'' (1994) was adapted for film by Rody Vera. Renamed ''Pusang Gala'' and directed by Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil, the film was nominated for several FAMAS awards, including a Best Story nomination for Lana.
Lana made his film directorial debut with ''Gigil'' (2006), starring Katrina Halili. The following year, he wrote and directed ''Roxanne''. From 2006 until 2014, Lana was employed by
GMA Network
GMA Network (an acronym of its legal name, Global Media Arts and commonly known as GMA) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine commercial broadcast network, serving as the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network (company), ...
, where he served as a creative consultant for the drama department, and as head writer of ''Magpakailanman'' and other shows. Lana also directs for television, sometimes in collaboration with actor Cesar Montano. For GMA Network, he directed his Palanca Award-winning teleplay ''Milagroso'', which was aired as a television special and became a finalist at the 2006 Asian TV Awards. Lana has also directed television episodes for ''Love2Love'', ''Wag Kukurap'', and ''Fantastikids''.
His 2012 film ''
Bwakaw
''Bwakaw'' is a 2012 Philippine comedy-drama film written, co-produced, and directed by Jun Lana. Eddie Garcia stars as a lonely gay man in his seventies who cares for a stray dog he named ''Bwakaw'', played by Princess the Dog. Supporting cast ...
'' was selected as the Filipino entry for the
Best Foreign Language Oscar at the
85th Academy Awards
The 85th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2012 and took place on February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, beginning at 5:30 p ...
, but it did not make the final shortlist.
In 2014, Lana and frequent filmmaking partner, Perci Intalan, established
The IdeaFirst Company
The IdeaFirst Company (TIFC), commonly known as IdeaFirst, is a Filipino film, television production company and talent agency founded in 2014 by filmmakers Jun Robles Lana and Perci Intalan. The company focuses on film and television producti ...
, a creative content creation and consultancy company. The company has produced many films, which have been awarded in numerous screenings in the Philippines and overseas.
In the 29th
Tokyo International Film Festival
The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter. According to the FIAPF, it is one of Asia's competitive film festivals and the second largest film festival in Asia behind the ...
, his 2016 film ''
Die Beautiful
''Die Beautiful'' is a Filipino LGBT comedy-drama film produced and directed by Jun Robles Lana and co-produced by Ferdinand Lapuz and Perci M. Intalan, from a story by Jun Lana and screenplay by Rody Vera. It stars Paolo Ballesteros as Trish ...
'' won the festival's Audience Choice Award, and also the Best Actor award for
Paolo Ballesteros
Paolo Elito Macapagal Ballesteros IV (born November 29, 1982) is a Filipino actor, comedian and drag queen. He has appeared in films and several TV shows, he is one of the co-hosts of longtime noontime show ''Eat Bulaga!'' since 2001, and he i ...
.
In 2019, he won the Best Director Award for his feature film ''
Kalel, 15
''Kalel, 15'' is a 2019 Philippine drama film written, co-produced, and directed by Jun Robles Lana. Shot in monochrome, the film stars Elijah Canlas as the titular 15-year old teenager who was infected with HIV. It also features a supporting cas ...
'' at the
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (BNFF), or PÖFF (Pimedate Ööde filmifestival), is an annual film festival held since 1997 in Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia. PÖFF is one of the largest film festivals in Northern Europe. In 2014, it was ...
. The film had its world premiere in the Estonian capital where it was screened in the official selection.
In 2023, his new feature ''Your Mother’s Son'' was screened at the
Toronto Film Festival
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
.
Personal life
Lana is gay and married Direk Perci Intalan, a former
TV5 executive, in a same-sex wedding ceremony in New York City on October 14, 2013. Lana and Intalan were in an open relationship until their separation in December 2021. They consider themselves as best friends and co-parents to their content creation and artist management company, IdeaFirst. Lana is the vice president of IdeaFirst.
Credits
Films
*''
Sa Pusod ng Dagat
''Sa Pusod ng Dagat'' () is a 1998 Filipino drama film produced and directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya and written by Jun Lana from his Palanca Award-winning screenplay ''Mga Bangka sa Tag-araw''. It stars Jomari Yllana, Chin-Chin Gutierrez, and Eli ...
'' (1998; writer)
*''Sagad sa Init'' (1998; writer)
*''
Jose Rizal
Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph.
Given name Mishnaic and Talmudic periods
* Jose ben Abin
* Jose ben Akabya
*Jose the Galilean
* Jose ben Halaft ...
'' (1998; writer)
*''
Saranggola
''Saranggola'' (international title: ''The Kite'') is a 1999 Filipino drama film directed by Gil Portes, who co-wrote the film's story and screenplay with Jose Y. Dalisay Jr. It stars Ricky Davao, Lester Llansang and Jennifer Sevilla. It is ...
'' (1999; writer)
*''
Soltera Soltera may refer to:
* ''Soltera'' (film), a 1999 Filipino film
* "Soltera" (Shakira song), 2024
* "Soltera" (Lunay, Chris Jeday and Gaby Music song), 2019
* "Soltera", a song by Maluma featuring Madonna from Maluma's 2019 album '' 11:11''
Se ...
'' (1999; writer)
*''
Sa Paraiso ni Efren'' (1999; writer)
*''
Muro Ami'' (1999; writer)
*''Mapagbigay'' (2000; writer)
*''Red Diaries'' (2001; writer)
*''
Bagong Buwan'' (2001; writer)
*''I Think I'm in Love'' (2002; writer)
*''Bedtime Stories'' (2002; writer)
*''Two Timer'' (2002; writer)
*''Pusong Gala'' (2005; story)
*''Gigil'' (2006; director)
*''Roxxxanne'' (2008; writer, director)
*''
My Neighbor's Wife'' (2011; writer, director)
*''
Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow'' (2011; director)
*''
Bwakaw
''Bwakaw'' is a 2012 Philippine comedy-drama film written, co-produced, and directed by Jun Lana. Eddie Garcia stars as a lonely gay man in his seventies who cares for a stray dog he named ''Bwakaw'', played by Princess the Dog. Supporting cast ...
(2012; writer, director)
*''
Barber's Tales
''Barber's Tales'' ( Filipino: ''Mga Kuwentong Barbero'') is a 2013 Filipino drama film written, co-produced, and directed by Jun Robles Lana. The film stars Eugene Domingo as Marilou, a widow who is forced to take her late husband's job as comm ...
'' / ''Mga Kwentong Barbero'' (2013; writer, director)
*''
So It's You'' (2014; writer, director)
*''
The Prenup'' (2015; director)
*''
Haunted Mansion
Haunted Mansion may also refer to:
*Haunted house, house or other structure inhabited by disembodied spirits
*Haunted attraction (simulated), a type of amusement attraction
Disney
* The Haunted Mansion, a dark ride attraction located at multiple ...
'' (2015; director)
*''
Bakit Lahat ng Gwapo may Boyfriend?'' (2016; director)
*''
Die Beautiful
''Die Beautiful'' is a Filipino LGBT comedy-drama film produced and directed by Jun Robles Lana and co-produced by Ferdinand Lapuz and Perci M. Intalan, from a story by Jun Lana and screenplay by Rody Vera. It stars Paolo Ballesteros as Trish ...
'' (2016; director)
*''
Ang Dalawang Mrs. Reyes
''Ang Dalawang Mrs. Reyes'' () is a 2018 Filipino comedy film directed by Jun Lana, Jun Robles Lana from his written story and screenplay, with Elmer L. Gatchalian as the co-writer of the latter. The film stars Angelica Panganiban and Judy Ann ...
'' (2018; director)
*''Ang Babaeng Allergic sa Wifi'' (2018; director)
*''
The Panti Sisters
''The Panti Sisters'' is a 2019 Filipino comedy film directed by Jun Lana from a story and screenplay written by Ivan Andrew Payawal. Starring Paolo Ballesteros, Martin del Rosario and Christian Bables, the film revolves around the three gay sons ...
'' (2019: director)
*''
Unforgettable
Unforgettable may refer to:
Film
* ''Unforgettable'' (1996 film), a thriller starring Ray Liotta
* ''Unforgettable'' (2014 film), a Bollywood film
* ''Unforgettable'' (2016 film), a South Korean film
* ''Unforgettable'' (2017 film), an America ...
'' (2019; director)
*''
Kalel, 15
''Kalel, 15'' is a 2019 Philippine drama film written, co-produced, and directed by Jun Robles Lana. Shot in monochrome, the film stars Elijah Canlas as the titular 15-year old teenager who was infected with HIV. It also features a supporting cas ...
'' (2019; director, writer)
*''Especially For Your Love'' (2020; director)
*''
Big Night!'' (2021; director, writer)
*''
About Us But Not About Us'' (2022: director, writer)
*''
Ten Little Mistresses'' (2023: director, producer)
*''
Becky & Badette'' (2023: director, writer)
*''Your Mother's Son/Anak Ka Ng Ina Mo'' (2023: director, writer)
*''
And the Breadwinner is…'' (2024: director, writer, executive producer)
Awards
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lana, Jun
1972 births
Living people
Filipino television directors
Filipino screenwriters
Palanca Award recipients
People from Makati
Writers from Metro Manila
Filipino LGBTQ screenwriters
Gay dramatists and playwrights
LGBTQ film producers
Gay screenwriters
GMA Network (company) people
The IdeaFirst Company