Lav Diaz
Known for
Lav Diaz is a Filipino director born in Cotabato, celebrated for extraordinarily long, patient films examining Filipino history, poverty, and colonial legacy across durations that frequently exceed four or even ten hours. Evolution of a Filipino Family, shot over more than a decade, established his commitment to extreme duration as a formal and political statement against commercial cinema's compressed pacing. Norte, the End of History, loosely inspired by Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, and From What Is Before, examining a rural community's disintegration in the years before Marcos's declaration of martial law, extended his patient, black-and-white visual examination of Filipino historical trauma. Diaz's radical commitment to extreme duration as a means of forcing genuine contemplation of history and suffering has made him one of the most formally uncompromising directors in contemporary world cinema.
Lav Diaz
44 Directed
Lav Diaz is a Filipino director born in Cotabato, celebrated for extraordinarily long, patient films examining Filipino history, poverty, and colonial legacy across durations that frequently exceed four or even ten hours. Evolution of a Filipino Family, shot over more than a decade, established his commitment to extreme duration as a formal and political statement against commercial cinema's compressed pacing. Norte, the End of History, loosely inspired by Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, and From What Is Before, examining a rural community's disintegration in the years before Marcos's declaration of martial law, extended his patient, black-and-white visual examination of Filipino historical trauma. Diaz's radical commitment to extreme duration as a means of forcing genuine contemplation of history and suffering has made him one of the most formally uncompromising directors in contemporary world cinema.
Movies
Director
Magellan
2025
Director
Norte, the End of History
2014
Director
Melancholia
2008
Director
The Woman Who Left
2016
Director
Evolution of a Filipino Family
2004
Director
Batang West Side
2001
Director
The Halt
2019
Director
Heremias: Book One - The Legend of the Lizard Princess
2006
Director
A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery
2016
Director
From What Is Before
2014
Director
When the Waves Are Gone
2023
Director
Genus Pan
2020
Director
Century of Birthing
2011
Director
Season of the Devil
2018
Director
Naked Under the Moon
1999
Director
Butterflies Have No Memory
2009
Director
Burger Boys
1999
Director
Prologue to the Great Desaparecido
2013
Director
Jesus the Revolutionary
2002
Director
Himala: A Dialectic for Our Times
2020
Director
Elegy to the Visitor From the Revolution
2011
Director
Death in the Land of Encantos
2015
Director
Serafin Geronimo: The Criminal of Barrio Concepcion
1998
Director
The Day Before the End
2016
Director
Florentina Hubaldo, CTE
2012
Director
History of Ha
2021
Director
Essential Truths of the Lake
2023
Director
Liminal
2020
Latest Trailers
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Moneyslapper
Full Filmography
Let Us Through, Dear Ancestors
Director
2026
Film
Magellan
Director
2025
Film
Phantosmia
Director
2025
Film
Faith
Director
2024
Film
When the Waves Are Gone
Director
2023
Film
Essential Truths of the Lake
Director
2023
Film
A Tale of Filipino Violence
Director
2022
Film
History of Ha
Director
2021
Film
Genus Pan
Director
2020
Film
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Lav Diaz and where are they from?
Lav Diaz is 67 years old, born on December 30, 1958 in Columbio, Sultan Kudarat, Philippines.
What are the most famous roles of Lav Diaz?
Lav Diaz is best known for directing The Woman Who Left, Norte, the End of History, Evolution of a Filipino Family.
How many movies has Lav Diaz directed?
Over a 37-year career (since 1989), Lav Diaz has directed or written 44 films and worked on 0 TV shows.
What was Lav Diaz's first movie?
The career of Lav Diaz began with Untitled When the Waves Are Gone sequel ().
What is Lav Diaz's most recent movie or series?
Lav Diaz's most recent release is Magellan, which premiered on September 10, 2025.
Does Lav Diaz have any upcoming projects?
Yes, Lav Diaz's upcoming work includes: Let Us Through, Dear Ancestors (2026).
Lav Diaz
1958-12-30 · Columbio, Sultan Kudarat, Philippines
Lavrente 'Lav' Indico Diaz (born December 30, 1958) is a Filipino independent filmmaker and former film critic. He is known as one of the key practitioners of the slow cinema genre, producing a diverse range of some of the longest narrative films that explore social and political issues, minimalistic storytelling, long takes, and cinematic form.
Although he had been making films since the late 1990s, Diaz didn't attract much public attention outside of the Philippines and the festival circuit until the release of Norte, the End of History, which was entered into Un Certain Regard section of the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. His three subsequent films have received much critical attention and many awards with 2014's From What Is Before earning him the Golden Leopard at the 2014 Locarno International Film Festival as well as a nomination for the Asian Film Award for Best Director, 2016's A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery competing for the Golden Bear at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival and winning the Alfred Bauer Prize, and 2016's The Woman Who Left competing at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival and winning the Golden Lion.