Here’s the biography of Mike De Leon, an acclaimed filmmaker at the age of 78.
MIKE DE LEON BIOGRAPHY – The film giant passes away at 78 years old, and here’s a peek at the life of the legendary filmmaker.
World-acclaimed filmmaker and archivist Mike De Leon passed away on Thursday morning on August 28, due to a lingering illness. His passing brought grief not only in the Philippines but also as far as Europe. As a filmmaker, he was the brilliant mind behind a myriad of films recognized as fiercely political. His creations were profound social commentary that sheds light on the struggles and injustices faced by the marginalized
Although he directed only 10 full-length films, leaving behind a relatively modest body of work, the influence and impact of his creations were far more significant. What are now considered to be the canon of Philippine cinema are:
- “Itim” (1976)
- “Kung Mangarap Ka’t Magising” (1977)
- “Kakabakaba Ka Ba?” (1980)
- “Kisapmata” (1981)
- “Batch ’81” (1982)
- “Sister Stella L.” (1984)
- “Hindi Nahahati ang Langit” (1985)
- “Bilanggo Sa Dilim (1986)
- “Bayaning Third World” (1999)
- “Citizen Jake” (2018)
He also did the short film “Aliwan Paradise” (1993), part of the four-country anthology film “Southern Winds.” Apart from “Aliwan Paradise,” he did the short features “Sa Bisperas” (1972) and “Signos” (2008).
In the tribute of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) for the acclaimed filmmaker, he was “a voice for the unheard, a visionary genius behind generation-defining cinematic classics who shone a light on the beauty and pain of the downtrodden and repressed, bringing their stories to the cultural forefront.”
Born on May 24, 1947, he was the grandson of Narcisa ‘Sisang’ de Leon, the matriarch and powerhouse behind LVN Studios, one of the country’s largest film production companies in the postwar era. He had a bachelor’s degree major in humanities from the Ateneo de Manila University and studied art history at the University of Heidelberg in Germany.
In his two-volume photographic memoir titled “Mike de Leon’s Last Look Back,” he wrote: “Biologically, I owe my life to Lola/Grandma Sisang and my parents Manuel and Imelda. But as for my life in cinema, I owe it all to LVN.’”
He began his career in the film industry as a producer and cinematographer for Lino Brocka’s classic ‘Maynila, Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag’ (1975).
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