Born in Datu Paglas, Mindanao, in 1958, Lav Diaz is the best-known figure of Filipino independent cinema and a leading figure in slow cinema. He makes films in black and white, often of enormous length, up to ten hours, and takes the form of long, still takes, ensemble casts and slow-moving stories of Philippine history under Marcos and the Spanish and American colonial periods. Evolution of a Filipino Family (2004) runs for ten hours, and Norte, the End of History (2013), based loosely on Crime and Punishment, is four hours. The Woman Who Left (2016) won the Golden Lion at Venice, and Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery won a Silver Bear at Berlin.
Filmography
- Evolution of a Filipino Family (2004)
- Melancholia (2008) (2008)
- Norte, the End of History (2013)
- The Woman Who Left (2016)
- Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery (2016)