Mike de Leon’s ‘unfinished business’
‘One of Filipino cinema’s most fiercely political and dramatic storytellers’ talks about the circumstances behind a retrospective of his films at the MoMA in New York, the LVN book he wrote, and why he’s still undecided to make a new movie
Mike de Leon (left, foreground) directs Charito Solis, Charo Santos, Jay Ilagan, and Vic Silayan in ‘Kisapmata’ (1981). | Photos courtesy of Mike de Leon
Mike de Leon has "unfinished business." And it's all falling into place.
Last Look Back, the book on LVN — the legendary film studio his grandmother, Doña Sisang de Leon, founded in 1938 and ran like its Hollywood counterparts — that's taken three years to put together is finally coming out in November.
Coincidentally, the Museum of Modern Art in New York is mounting Mike de Leon: Self-portrait of a Filipino Filmmaker— a retrospective of his feature films and shorts as a writer and director — from 1 to 30 November.
DE LEON framing a shot with Atom Araullo and Max Collins in 'Citizen Jake' (2018).
In this email interview, "one of Filipino cinema's most fiercely political and dramatic storytellers" talks about the circumstances behind the MoMA retrospective, the LVN book, and why he's still undecided to make a new movie.
Daily Tribune (DT): Whose idea was MoMA's retrospective? How involved were you in the preparations?
Mike de Leon (ML): I received an invitation from Josh Siegel, the curator of film at the MoMA, sometime in early 2021. It was about organizing a retrospective of my films late in the year. But the event was postponed till November this year because of the backlog of programs at the museum, probably because of the pandemic.
