Cinema is the greatest mirror of humanity's struggle. You see this alternative world, but you're part of it. Everybody is part of it. This is our world.
Lav Diaz"Filipino" is the Spanish side of our history. The islands were named after King Felipe, so we became known as Filipinos. It's a brand, it's a name. But we're Malays. Before colonizers came to our shores, we were Malays. My praxis is about being Malay - the struggle of the Malays before we became Filipinos.
Lav DiazI make films, and festivals, museums, and academia are embracing the work. It will be heard. It's bound to happen because cinema is universal. You create it, some people will notice it, some people will watch it.
Lav DiazEven if I made pornography, the trauma would show, though. It will always be there because it's my veritรฉ. It's my kind of narrative, it's my kind of storytelling. It's not style; it's just there.
Lav Diaz