Born in the Philippines in 1958, Lav Diaz made his directorial debut in the late 1990s, quickly establishing himself as one of the most radical and innovative filmmakers of today. Among the numerous international recognitions he received throughout the years are Locarno Film Festival's Golden Leopard (2014), Berlinale's Alfred Bauer Prize (2016) and Venice Film Festival's Golden Lion (2016). He was also a recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship (2010), of the Prince Claus Award (2014) and of the Radcliffe Fellowship at Harvard University (2016-2017). Famous for his black-and-white, long-take aesthetics, over the past three decades Diaz has been using the cinema medium to relentlessly investigate the impact of the 1521-1898 Spanish colonization, of the 1898-1946 American rule, of the 1942-1945 Japanese occupation, of Ferdinand Marcos's 1972-1986 dictatorship and of Rodrigo Duterte's ongoing War on Drugs on the Filipino body politic and psyche.