 Director
Marilou Diaz-Abaya is one of the leading filmmakers in the Philippines
today. She is attracting international attention as one of Asia's most
important filmmakers. In particular, in recent years, her activities have
gained further recognition and popularity receiving broad support by citizens
of Fukuoka through her annual participation in the Focus on Asia - Fukuoka
International Film Festival.
Born in Quezon City
in 1955, Ms. Diaz-Abaya attended Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles
and studied film at the London International Film School. Since releasing
her first picture in 1980, she has been among the foremost directors in
Filipino cinema.
Her early films included
"Brutal", "Of the Flesh", and "Baby Tsina",
sharp condemnations of the oppressive social system of the Marcos era.
These and the works of a master Lino Brocka brought Philippine cinema
to worldwide attention.
The Marcos regime fell
in 1986 and was replaced by the government of Corazon Aquino. Ms. Diaz-Abaya
left filmmaking for several years and produced television programs dealing
with social and political problems to achieve social reform. Since launching
her career as a film director, she has consistently worked for the establishment
of democracy in the Philippines.
With the release of
"Redeem Her Honor" in 1995, she returned to the cinema in a
burst of activity. In the films that followed, including "Madonna
and Child", "In the Navel of the Sea", "Jose Rizal",
and "Reef Hunters", she has consistently maintained an uncompromising
stance in her examination of difficult social problems. At the same time,
her work became richer, suffused with affection for the people of the
underclass, women, and children, who struggle to survive in harsh conditions.
As films, Ms. Diaz-Abaya's work contained an even greater generosity of
spirit and human warmth.
The filmmaker's masterpiece,
"Jose Rizal", has been hailed as a brilliant work of art that
depicts with originality and exceptional expressiveness a national hero
from an entirely new perspective as an artist and human being. The film
became a great success in the Philippines, where films with a high degree
of entertainment content are very popular and this success is expected
to usher in a new era in Philippine film.
Ms. Diaz-Abaya's body
of work harmoniously blends entertainment, social consciousness, and ethnic
awareness. It 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. |
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