Award-winning Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz is the subject of a film exhibition at a leading visual arts museum in Melbourne, Australia.
The ongoing program, which runs until May 23, 2026, showcases a curated selection of Lav’s works, highlighting his distinctive style associated with the slow cinema movement.
The screenings are hosted by the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), a national museum dedicated to promoting and preserving visual culture across television, film, digital media, video games, and art.
HOW LAV DIAZ'S FILMS FIT ACMI'S VISION
To describe Lav Diaz’s films as an acquired taste would be an understatement.
For starters, the independent filmmaker from Cotabato is renowned for crafting films that far exceed the conventional running times most audiences are accustomed to.
His films, which delve into political and social issues, typically run between four and six hours, and in some cases exceed 10, a length that unfortunately makes it difficult to secure slots in commercial cinemas.
ACMI has long eyed to include Lav's films in its program, according to Reece Goodwin, the museum’s senior programmer and film and TV curator.
"He is celebrated around the world as one of the great living masters of cinema, but strangely, there are very few opportunities to watch his films," Reece told PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal).
"ACMI has a very dedicated cinema audience who know this, and they know that when you have an opportunity to watch his films, you must take it."
The Focus on Lav Diaz program continues ACMI’s tradition of exhibiting diverse films across genres and from film industry players around the world, making them accessible to both dedicated cinephiles and casual viewers alike.
In fact, alongside the program, the museum is simultaneously presenting a series of screenings featuring films starring acclaimed Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai.
"Given the size of the Filipino community in Melbourne, it is also strange that Filipino films are rarely screened in cinemas here, so we are hoping that we can go some way to address that and give the community more opportunities to hear Tagalog spoken on the big screen," remarked Reece.
"For Melbourne’s broader community, it's also an opportunity to build a better understanding of Filipino history and culture."
Focus on Lav Diaz kicked off on January 31 with Lav's latest film, Magellan, followed by Batang West Side on Valentine's Day.
Read: Magellan, bigong makapasok sa shortlist ng Oscars 2026
The upcoming screenings will feature Phantosmia on February 28, Evolution of a Filipino Family (Ebolusyon ng Isang Pamilyang Pilipino) on March 14, Melancholia on March 28, Norte, the End of History (Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan) on April 11, From What is Before (Mula sa kung Ano ang Noon) on April 25, A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery (Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis) on May 9, and The Woman Who Left (Siglo ng Pagluluwal) on May 23.
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For more information and to buy tickets, visit acmi.net.au.