Not only is Lav Diaz one of the finest film writer/directors of our time, he's also one of the finest film cinematographers of our time, and one of the most radical. Rising through the commercial Filipino film industry in the late '90s and early '00s, he funded his remarkable arthouse breakthrough, 2004's Evolution of a Filipino Family, which he filmed over a decade as and when he had the resources. He also picked up the technical skill with a digital camera to match his artistic vision, and 2007's Death in the Land of Encantos marked his first extraordinary credit as DP. It's the first of 12 such credits to date.
Diaz's mastery of digital facilities, producing imagery every bit as rich as the most beautiful analogue cinematography, is a direct, pointed and intentional message to the film establishment, enabling him to embark on far more filming at a far lower cost than were he to rely on rare and expensive studio-owned stock. His is a cinematic literacy practically without parallel today, and the union of his directorial acumen with his cinematographic ability continues to result in some of the most astonishing screen visuals today. I hope you'll feel that the video above shows exactly how and why.
Films featured
Death in the Land of Encantos, 2007
Melancholia, 2008
Century of Birthing, 2011
Prologue to the Great Desaparecido, 2013
From What Is Before, 2014
Storm Children: Book One, 2014
The Woman Who Left, 2016
The Halt, 2019