Lav Diaz

Lav Diaz (b. 1958, Datu Paglas, Philippines) is a director known for the extreme length of his films, some of which run more than eight hours. He began as a musician, poet, and screenwriter for local television, and established himself as a filmmaker in the early 1990s. His best known works include the almost eight-hour long Melancholia (2008), which won the main prize at the Venice IFF, and the nine-hour Death in the Land of Encantos (Kagadanan sa banwaan ning mga Engkanto, 2007). In both subject matter and style, Diaz’s films are firmly rooted in Filipino culture. Their typical aesthetic features include (in addition to their long run time) slow pacing, extensive takes, and the absence of music. Using these tools, Diaz tries to reproduce the specific aesthetic peculiar to the Filipino mentality, which is not subject to the Western perception of time.

48. MFF Karlovy Vary