Marilou Diaz-Abaya
Encyclopedia
Marilou Diaz-Abaya is a multi-awarded film director
in the Philippines
.
She is the founder and current president of the Marilou Diaz Abaya Film Institute and Arts Center, a film school based in Antipolo City
, Philippines
.
She is the director of José Rizal
, a biopicture on the Philippines' national hero
.
being one of them), eventually graduating from Assumption College
with a degree in Bachelor of Arts
, major in Communication Arts
in 1976. She went to Los Angeles
for further studies and graduated from Loyola Marymount University
with a degree in Master of Arts
in Film
and Television
in 1978. She then went to London
and completed the Film Course at London International Film School also in 1978.
Her early films Brutal, Karnal (Of the Flesh), and Baby Tsina, sharply condemn the oppressive social system during the administration of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos
. When the Marcos was deposed in 1986, Diaz left filmmaking.
Diaz produced television programs for several years. Her work attempts to reflect the social and political problems to attain social reform. She admittedly uses her work as a tool to uphold, promote, and protect the state of democracy
in the Philippines.
In 1995, she again directed films, beginning with the release of Ipaglaban Mo (Redeem Her Honor). She continued directing such films as May Nagmamahal Sa Iyo (Madonna and Child), Sa Pusod Ng Dagat (In the Navel of the Sea), Jose Rizal, and Muro Ami (Reef Hunters). Her body of work is a continuous examination of difficult social problems in the country. Her works often deal with the lives of the Filipino poor, women, and children who struggle to survive under harsh conditions.
Arguably her most famous work, José Rizal
, featured actor and 2007 Philippine senatorial candidate Cesar Montano
playing the national hero as an ordinary human being, artist, and struggling doctor.
A Japanese award-giving body described her body of work to be "harmoniously blending entertainment, social consciousness, and ethnic awareness." The organization continued by saying: "(Her work) has won acclaim both in the Philippines and abroad for its high level of artistic achievement. It is an ideal manifestation of the artistic culture of Asia, and so is most deserving of the Arts and Culture Prize of the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prizes."
, the Urian Awards, the Film Academy of the Philippines, the Famas Awards, the Star Awards, the Catholic Mass Media Awards, the British Film Institute
Award, the International Federation of Film Critics Award (FIPRESCI, and the Network of Pan Asian Cinema Award (NETPAC).
, a trustee of the Jesuit Communications Foundation and the AMANU Media Apostolate, and an active member of the Silsilah Dialogue Movement for Peace, the Artists for Peace, the Mothers for Peace, and the World Association of Psycho-Socio Rehabilitation.
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
She is the founder and current president of the Marilou Diaz Abaya Film Institute and Arts Center, a film school based in Antipolo City
Antipolo City
Antipolo is a city in the Philippines located in the province of Rizal; about 25 kilometers east of Manila. It is the largest city in the Calabarzon Region in terms of population...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
She is the director of José Rizal
José Rizal (film)
José Rizal is a 1998 award-winning Filipino film biopic directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya.It was GMA Films' entry to the 1998 Metro Manila Film Festival. It is touted as one of the biggest films ever made in the history of Philippine cinema with a record-breaking P80-million budget despite the fact...
, a biopicture on the Philippines' national hero
José Rizal
José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda , was a Filipino polymath, patriot and the most prominent advocate for reform in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era. He is regarded as the foremost Filipino patriot and is listed as one of the national heroes of the Philippines by...
.
Early life
Diaz was born in Quezon City in 1955. She studied in private schools (St. Theresa's CollegeSt. Theresa's College
St. Theresa's College, , Philippines, is a Catholic private school for girls run by the Missionary Sisters of the "Immaculati Cordis Mariae" or Immaculate Heart of Mary ....
being one of them), eventually graduating from Assumption College
Assumption College (Philippines)
The Assumption College is a private, Roman Catholic women's college in Makati City, Philippines established in 1959. It provides education from pre-school, elementary, secondary, tertiary, to graduate level...
with a degree in Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
, major in Communication Arts
Communication Arts
Communication Arts is the largest international trade journal of visual communications. Founded in 1959 by Richard Coyne and Robert Blanchard, the magazine’s coverage includes graphic design, advertising, photography, illustration and interactive media. The magazine continues to be edited and...
in 1976. She went to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
for further studies and graduated from Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University is a comprehensive co-educational private Roman Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions located in Los Angeles, California, United States...
with a degree in Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and Television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
in 1978. She then went to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and completed the Film Course at London International Film School also in 1978.
Career
Diaz directed and released her first feature film, Tanikala (Chains) in 1980. Since then, she has been one of the most active and visible directors in Philippine cinema.Her early films Brutal, Karnal (Of the Flesh), and Baby Tsina, sharply condemn the oppressive social system during the administration of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
. When the Marcos was deposed in 1986, Diaz left filmmaking.
Diaz produced television programs for several years. Her work attempts to reflect the social and political problems to attain social reform. She admittedly uses her work as a tool to uphold, promote, and protect the state of democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
in the Philippines.
In 1995, she again directed films, beginning with the release of Ipaglaban Mo (Redeem Her Honor). She continued directing such films as May Nagmamahal Sa Iyo (Madonna and Child), Sa Pusod Ng Dagat (In the Navel of the Sea), Jose Rizal, and Muro Ami (Reef Hunters). Her body of work is a continuous examination of difficult social problems in the country. Her works often deal with the lives of the Filipino poor, women, and children who struggle to survive under harsh conditions.
Arguably her most famous work, José Rizal
José Rizal (film)
José Rizal is a 1998 award-winning Filipino film biopic directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya.It was GMA Films' entry to the 1998 Metro Manila Film Festival. It is touted as one of the biggest films ever made in the history of Philippine cinema with a record-breaking P80-million budget despite the fact...
, featured actor and 2007 Philippine senatorial candidate Cesar Montano
César Montano
Cesar Manhilot, known by his screen name Cesar Montano, is a multi-awarded Filipino actor and film director.He started in show business as a stuntman. He played roles in numerous B movies...
playing the national hero as an ordinary human being, artist, and struggling doctor.
A Japanese award-giving body described her body of work to be "harmoniously blending entertainment, social consciousness, and ethnic awareness." The organization continued by saying: "(Her work) has won acclaim both in the Philippines and abroad for its high level of artistic achievement. It is an ideal manifestation of the artistic culture of Asia, and so is most deserving of the Arts and Culture Prize of the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prizes."
Awards
Diaz is the 2001 Laureate of the Fukuoka Prize for Culture and the Arts in Japan. She has won numerous directing awards from award-giving bodies such as the Metro Manila Film FestivalMetro Manila Film Festival
upright|thumb|320px|Metro Manila Film Festival Official LogoThe Metro Manila Film Festival-Philippines is the annual film festival held in Manila...
, the Urian Awards, the Film Academy of the Philippines, the Famas Awards, the Star Awards, the Catholic Mass Media Awards, the British Film Institute
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
Award, the International Federation of Film Critics Award (FIPRESCI, and the Network of Pan Asian Cinema Award (NETPAC).
Organizations
Diaz remains an active film and television producer and director. She is also a director of the Film Development Council of the Philippines, the current president of the Marilou Diaz Abaya Film Institute and Arts Center and Dive Solana Inc., a film instructor at the Ateneo de Manila UniversityAteneo de Manila University
The Ateneo de Manila University is a private teaching and research university run by the Society of Jesus in the Philippines. It began in 1859 when the City of Manila handed control of the Escuela Municipal de Manila in Intramuros, Manila, to the Jesuits...
, a trustee of the Jesuit Communications Foundation and the AMANU Media Apostolate, and an active member of the Silsilah Dialogue Movement for Peace, the Artists for Peace, the Mothers for Peace, and the World Association of Psycho-Socio Rehabilitation.
Filmography
Diaz has directed at least twenty-one (21) full length feature films which include internationally exhibited films with English titles and subtitles. The partial list includes the following:- 1980: Tanikala (Chains), written by Pablo Gomez, produced by Cine Filipinas Productions, starring Susan Roces, Bobby Vasquez, Eddie Garcia and Rita Gomez.
- 1980: Brutal (Brutal), written by Ricky LeeRicky LeeRicky Lee is a Filipino scriptwriter. He has written more than a hundred film scripts since 1979, earning for him more than 50 trophies from award-giving bodies...
, produced by Bancom Audiovision, starring Amy Austria, Jay Ilagan, Johnny Delgado, charo Santos; multi-awards from the 1980 Metro Manila Film Festival, Film Academy of the Philippines, FAMAS; exhibited at the PIA Film Festival, Tokyo. - 1983 : Moral (Moral), written by Ricky Lee, produced by Seven Star Productions, starring Lorna Tolentino, Gina Alajar, Sandy Andolong, Ana Marin, Laurice Guillen; rated A by the Film Ratings Board; 1984 British Film Institute Outstanding Film of the Year.
- 1984 : Karnal (Of the Flesh), rated A by the Film Ratings Board, written by Ricky Lee, produced by Cine Suerte productions; starring Charito SolisCharito SolisCharito Solis was a FAMAS and Gawad Urian award-winning Filipino film actress. Acknowledged as one of the leading dramatic actresses of post-war Philippine cinema, she was tagged either as the "Anna Magnani of the Philippines" or as "the Meryl Streep of the Philippines."-Profile:Rosario Violeta...
,Vic Silayan, Phillip Salvador, Joel Torre, Cecile Castillo; Multi-awards from 1984 Metro Manila Film Festival, FAMAS, Film Academy of the Philippines, Catholic Mass Media; Gawad URIAN pelikula ng dekada 80; exhibited in Sceaux,Paris Women’s Film Festival (1985); in retrospective in Munich and Düsseldorf (1999). - 1985: Baby Tsina, written by Ricky Lee, produced by Viva Films; starring Vilma Santos, Phillip Salvador, Caridad Sanhcez; exhibited in ASEAN Festival, Tokyo (1988).
- 1991: Kung Ako'y Iiwan Mo, written by Amado Lacuesta, produced by Regal Films’ starring Lorna Tolentino, Gabby Concepcion.
- 1994 : Ikalabing-Isang Utos, produced by Regal Films; starring Aiko Melendez, Gabby Concepcion, Edu Manzano, Maricel LaxaMaricel LaxaMaricel Laxa is a Filipino comedian and actress. She performed in the 1992 movie "Iisa Pa Lamang" for which she won Best Supporting Actress awards in both the 1992 FAMAS Awards and 1992 Star Awards.She graduated with a degree of B.S...
. - 1994 : Ipaglaban Mo, The Movie (Redeem her Honor), written by Ricky Lee, produced by Star CinemaStar CinemaABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc. , is the wholly owned film production subsidiary of ABS-CBN Corporation. It is the Philippines' largest film production, producing most of the highest grossing films in the Philippines.-1994:...
; starring nida Blanca, Ronaldo Valdez, Elizabeth Oropesa, Chin Chin GutierrezChin Chin GutierrezMaria Carminia Lourdes Cynthia Arnaldo Gutierrez , better known as Chin Chin Gutierrez, is a Filipino actress and environmentalist.-Early life:...
, Sharmaine Arnaiz, Joel Torre, Ricky Davao; exhibited at the Fukuoka International Film Festival (1995), Tokyo (1995) New Delhi (1996). - 1995 : Milagros (Milagros), written by Rolando TinioRolando TinioRolando Santos Tinio was a Filipino poet, dramatist, director, actor, critic, essayist and educator.-Biography:...
, produced by Crown Seven, starring Elizabeth Oropesa, Sharmaine Arnaiz, Dante Rivero, Joel Torre, Raymond Bagatsing, Noni Buencamino; exhibited at the Film Festivals of Fukuoka, Tokyo, Pusan Munich, Düsseldorf; Gawad Urian Pelikula ng Dekada 90. - 1998 : Sa Pusod Ng Dagat (In the Navel of the Sea), written by Jun LanaJun LanaJun Lana , born as Rodolfo R. Lana, Jr., is a Filipino playwright and two-time FAMAS award-winning screenwriter. The winner of 11 Palanca Awards for Literature, he became the youngest member of the Palanca Hall of Fame in 2006....
, produced by GMA FilmsGMA FilmsGMA Network Films, Inc. is a film production company and a film studio established in 1995 by GMA Network, Inc. in the Philippines....
; starring Jomari Yllana, Elizabeth Oropesa, Chin Chin GutierrezChin Chin GutierrezMaria Carminia Lourdes Cynthia Arnaldo Gutierrez , better known as Chin Chin Gutierrez, is a Filipino actress and environmentalist.-Early life:...
, Rolando Tinio, Jhong Hilario; exhibited at the film festivals in Berlin, Munich, Düsseldorf, Singapore, Brussels, Fukuoka, Tokyo, Pusan, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Hawaii, and others; NETPAC Award; FIPRESCI award. - 1998 : José RizalJosé Rizal (film)José Rizal is a 1998 award-winning Filipino film biopic directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya.It was GMA Films' entry to the 1998 Metro Manila Film Festival. It is touted as one of the biggest films ever made in the history of Philippine cinema with a record-breaking P80-million budget despite the fact...
, written by Ricky Lee, Jun Lana, produced by GMA Films; starring Cesar Montano, Jaime Fabregas, Gina Alajar, Jhong Hilario, Gloria Diaz, Pen Medina; multi-awarded by the Metro Manila Film FestivalMetro Manila Film Festivalupright|thumb|320px|Metro Manila Film Festival Official LogoThe Metro Manila Film Festival-Philippines is the annual film festival held in Manila...
(1998), Gawad Urian, Star Awards, FAMAS; commercially released at the Iwanami Hall, Tokyo (2000); exhibited at the film festivals of Berlin, Munich, Düsseldorf, Madrid, Paris, Singapore, Fukuoka, Tokyo, Pusan, Monteal, Vancouver, Guggenheim Museum of New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Hawaii, and others. - 1999: Muro AmiMuro AmiMuro Ami is a Filipino film that depicts one of the worst forms of child labor in the illegal fishing system. Fredo is the ruthless captain of 150 Muro Ami divers. The illegal fishing is done by pounding and crushing corals underwater to scare the fishes and drive them towards the nets...
(Reef Hunters), written by Ricky Lee, Jun Lana, produced by GMA Films; starring Cesar Montano, Amy Austria, Pen Medina, Jhong Hilario; multi-awarded by the Metro Manila Film FestivalMetro Manila Film Festivalupright|thumb|320px|Metro Manila Film Festival Official LogoThe Metro Manila Film Festival-Philippines is the annual film festival held in Manila...
(1999), FAMAS, Star Awards; exhibited in the film festivals in Fukuoka, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Hawaii, and others. - 1999: Bagong BuwanBagong BuwanBagong Buwan, also known as New Moon, is a 2001 Filipino film directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya starring Filipino actors Cesar Montano, Amy Austria, Jericho Rosales, Caridad Sanchez, Carlo Aquino, Noni Buencamino, Jiro Manio, Ronnie Lazaro, Jhong Hilario, and Jodi Santamaria.This movie is about the...
(New Moon), written by Marilou Diaz-Abaya, Ricky Lee, Jun Lana, produced by Bahag-Hari Productions and Star Cinema; starring Cesar Montano, Amy Austria, Caridad Sanhchez, Jhong Hilario, Noni Buencamino, Ronnie Lazaro, Jericho Rosales; rated A by the Film Ratings Board; multi-awarded by the Metro Manila Film FestivalMetro Manila Film Festivalupright|thumb|320px|Metro Manila Film Festival Official LogoThe Metro Manila Film Festival-Philippines is the annual film festival held in Manila...
(2001); exhibited at the film festivals of Asia Society of New York, Fukuoka, Tokyo, Pusan, Hawaii, and others. - 2003 : Noon at Ngayon (Then and Now),written by Ricky Lee, produced by Star Cinema; starring Dina Bonnevie, Laurice Guillen, Jericho Rosales, Cherrie Pie Picache, Eula Valdez, Jean Garcia ; rate A by the Cinema Evaluation Board; exhibited at the film festivals of Hawaii, Fukuoka,Tokyo, San Francisco, and others.
Videography
Diaz has also directed television shows such as the following:- Public Forum (1986-1995), a public affairs talk show hosted by Randy DavidRandy DavidRandolf "Randy" S. David is a Filipino journalist, television host and a sociologist. He currently pens a weekly newspaper column for the Philippine Daily Inquirer...
. - Sic O'Clock News (1987-1992), a news satire program.
- Various documentaries including Silsilah Dialogue Movement for God's Peace.
- Men of Light, a weekly talk show on the scriptures based in San Fernando, Pampanga, hosted by Fr. Pablo David, Fr. Raul de los Santos, and Fr. Deo Galang.