Lav Diaz discusses his cinematic philosophy
By Rica Arevalo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:12:00 08/01/2008
MANILA, Philippines—During a visit to a shoot of Cinemalaya’s TV ad, “Binary Codes,” I was surprised to see Lav Diaz on the set, not as a director, but as a talent. He was dressed as an Igorot writing on bamboo.
We sat with him to catch up. With eight feature-length features under his belt, he tells us that his struggle to make films continues, but he has already accepted the reality that his cinematic philosophy is “unacceptable” in the local movie industry.
Standards
He relates: “After ‘Hesus Rebolusyonaryo,’ ayoko na. Mamamatay ako sa sama ng loob. Kailangang maging totoo ka rin—hindi ko naman kayang ilaban ang nine hours of running time sa industry. Sino ba namang producer ang gagawa ng nine hours? Wala sya talagang kikitain. To create a niche and let my aesthetics go against the industry’s standards, mahirap.
“You need to understand our history: One hundred years tayong hinubog ng Hollywood, ’di pwedeng biglain ang Pilipino. Huwag kang magalit kung pitong tao lang ang nanuod ng pelikula mo. Hintayin mo at lalago rin ’yan!”
But, the yearning for his art continues—even without a budget. “I borrow money from friends. Gusto ko talagang gawin ang pelikula ko, so lumuluhod ako sa kanila para mangutang dahil kailangan kong mag-shoot. At one point, P300 na lang ang laman ng bank account ko!”
How does he sustain himself? He shares, “Vegetarian ako. Ang pagkain ko, five pesos na talbos ng kamote and P15 na ulam a day. I get a lot of support from my wife, kids and friends.”
Primarily, he thinks of himself as a cultural worker. “You think of cinema as a philosophy—nandyan lang sya, isang vision na ibinabahagi mo. Don’t expect anything. Madali tayong masaktan. ’Pag may sinabi sila, made-depress o magagalit ka. Alisin mo na ’yon!”
Does he get hurt when people call him stubborn or self-indulgent? “Oo, pero nagkakaroon ka ng wisdom habang nasusugatan ka. If you look at yourself as a philosopher, hindi ka na masasaktan. Ito ang cinema ko and my aesthetic stand—bahala kayo to decipher. I’m just sharing my vision. Sa perspective ko, walang maiksi o mahabang pelikula.”
His process of making films is changing, though. He explains: “I need to see the location. There, I create the story. Hinahayaan ko lang sya—like an organism.”
Special award
Recently, Lav’s nine-hour black-and-white film, “Death in the Land of Encantos,” was screened at the Cinemalaya film fest. It got a Special Mention at the Orizzonti section of last year’s Venice film fest. (His latest film is also being screened at the festival this year.)
He recalls: “The judges deliberated for two hours because they couldn’t decide if it was a docu or not. Frederick Wiseman, a documentary pioneer, was one of the judges. He told me he loved my work, but he concluded that it was not a documentary. So, they just gave it a special award.”
“Encantos” tells the story of poet Benjamin Agusan, who returns to his typhoon-devastated hometown from an “artistic” exile. He finds his home, family and lover all gone.
