‘Scene cut too soon’: Tributes pour in for Mike de Leon

Mike de Leon, considered as one of the most brilliant and uncompromising voices in Philippine cinema, passed away on 28 August at the age of 78. His death marks the end of an era, but also a moment of reckoning, as artists, colleagues, institutions, admirers and audiences pay him tributes, reminisce encounters and reflect on the legacy he leaves behind.

The news was first shared by French film distributor Carlotta Films, which released Mike de Leon: Portrait d’un cinéaste philippin, a boxed set of eight of his films in Blu-ray and restored versions in March 2023.

Their Facebook post showed De Leon’s impact not only in the Philippines but across continents and captured the shock and sadness felt on his passing: “Oh non … Juste au réveil, on apprend, par ses proches, la disparition de Mike de Leon .. Alors qu’on est en plein Festival de Venise … Où nous avions découvert notre 1er Mike De Leon, à Venice Classics, il y a environ 10 ans, BATCH 81, et qu’on a été sous le choc … Depuis @labiennale, il y a eu tout le travail sur ses films, de très nombreux e-mails, nos rencontres à Manille, Baguio, ITIM au @festivaldecannes, le Coffret … Et il n’est plus. Le dernier de cette Nouvelle Vague du cinéma philippin des 70´s … Oh non … Tellement triste. RIP Mike! (Oh no…Just upon waking up, we learn from his loved ones about the passing of Mike de Leon… And right while we are in the middle of the Venice Festival, where we discovered our very first Mike de Leon at Venice Classics about 10 years ago — Batch ’81 — and we were in shock. Since then, from La Biennale, there has been all the work on his films, countless emails, our meetings in Manila and Baguio, Itim at Cannes, the box set… And now he is gone. The last of that New Wave of Philippine cinema of the seventies. So very sad. RIP Mike!)”

Born Miguel Pamintuan de Leon on 24 May 1947, he belonged to the storied LVN Pictures family but chose to forge his own path. After studies in the Philippines and Germany, he entered the industry first as a cinematographer, gaining acclaim with Lino Brocka’s Maynila: Sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag (1975).

De Leon’s directorial career was brief but transformative. From Itim (1976) to Kung Mangarap Ka’t Magising (1977), and then to his defining works — Kakabakaba Ka Ba? (1980), Kisapmata (1981), Batch ’81 (1982), and Sister Stella L. (1984) — he proved cinema could be both art and conscience. Later, Bayaning Third World (1999) and Citizen Jake (2018) affirmed his role as an uncompromising auteur.

He was equally a guardian of Philippine film heritage, leading restoration projects and bringing classics back to new audiences, from Cannes Film Festival to the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

But for many, his greatest legacy was not just the films he made, but the courage, rigor, and honesty he demanded of himself and others.

‘Not merely watched, but deeply felt’

The announcement of his death was followed by an outpouring of tributes and reminiscences, posted on social media accounts, from artists, colleagues, writers and institutions whose lives and work were touched by him and his works.

Among the most prominent is by actress and broadcast executive Charo Santos-Concio, who made her screen debut in Itim. She called him her “dearest friend” and “my very first mentor in the art and discipline of filmmaking.”

“From him I learned everything, the rigor of preparing a shot list, the mounting of scenes, the rhythm of narrative, the editing, the discipline of sound, music, and mixing back when motion picture was shot on actual film. He was a perfectionist, a genius, and a true master of cinema. Yet beyond his brilliance, Mike was my friend. He gave me trust, guidance, and unforgettable moments of collaboration. Through the years, he was unfailingly present at milestones and even in the most challenging seasons of my life. In my darkest hours, he was there, quiet, steady, kind. Ours was a bond that felt like soulmates in artistry, a connection built on respect and admiration,” she wrote on her Facebook account.

“He gave us films that were not merely watched, but deeply felt, etched into who we are. Kisapmata, Batch ’81, Kung Mangarap Ka’t Magising, Kakabakaba Ka Ba and Itim were never just films; they were mirrors, unflinching in their truth, forcing us to confront ourselves and the world we live in,” she further said.

“I will never forget the last time we spoke, as we were preparing a film together, its working title: Unfinished Business. He said, ‘I don’t think I will live to finish this film because of my condition, so I don’t even want to start it.’ Heartbreaking words from a man who had devoted his entire life to cinema and to truth,” she also related. “Mike’s departure feels like a scene cut too soon, an unfinished business. And yet, in truth, his work is complete. His films will forever illuminate our history, our fears, and our dreams.”

Encyclopedic film knowledge

On the other hand, filmmaker and film scholar Nick Deocampo said, “It is hard to say goodbye to someone who has endeared himself to his admirers with his films. It was raining hard yesterday when I first knew about Mike de Leon’s passing, as if the heavens too were mourning. Mike was a gifted artist with a Midas touch turning every film he made into a unique cinematic experience. I am glad I met him and knew a little more of the legend. But while he has left the physical world, his films remain and he will always be remembered.”

Filmmaker Robert Quebral wrote a lengthy post a day after De Leon’s passing, including their last conversation.

“The last time I heard from Direk Mike was when he shared news about his medical condition and it wasn’t good. ‘We’re here for you, Direk — stay strong — sending positive vibes,’ I said. ‘Enough about me,’ he quipped, then asked me why I left the country for good. He also wondered if I was still involved in cinema. I said I wanted to raise my family in a safer environment that’s why I moved to Canada. Had to wear a different hat making a living in a foreign land. Got sidetracked but still hopeful I’d be able to find my way back to what he and I both loved: filmmaking. He gets it and blames the political situation in the country as the culprit for the migration of minds. He said he missed Cesar Hernando, a very important artistic collaborator who did the production design in most of his films. He said Cesar treated him as a friend and not as an icon whenever they talked. Something that he doesn’t feel when communicating with the younger generation,” he started.

He continued: “Having Mike de Leon as a mentor was being at the receiving end of a stream of encyclopedic film knowledge. It felt like you were learning from a master like Stanley Kubrick, a filmmaker he greatly admired. The things we learned from him in a span of one year were more than what you can probably get in four years of film school. He prepped like no other. He devoted LVN’s film laboratory to the series of tests we made and drilled in our minds the importance of knowing which lens focal length to use for certain shots and at which F-stop a consistent plane of focus could be achieved. This was just the technical side of things. Script, storyline, philosophy and other intangibles at the core of the project required endless hours of conversation inside his war room in LVN, an exercise we enjoyed because we were learning from one of the brightest minds in the movie industry.

“Outside of filmmaking, I’ve known Mike to be a renaissance man. He was an avid classical guitarist. At one point he was able to perform parts of Concierto de Aranjuez before an audience. He could speak German because he studied in Heidelberg before becoming a filmmaker. He was also a great cook and a certified gourmet. He raised the most impressive German Shepherds I’ve ever seen and he treated them like his own children.

“Of course, we’ve all heard about his infamous temper and volatility, which betrayed him at times. But all is forgiven because just like what was said about Beethoven: how can you hate a man whose mind has given us films like Itim, Kisapmata, Batch ‘81, Sister Stella L, Kung Mangarap Ka at Magising and Kakabakaba Ka Ba?”

To be without him

Filmmaker Jay Altarejos remembered how De Leon extended solidarity concerning a problem. “ I don’t think I had the chance of meeting Mike de Leon,” he said. “But when Walang Kasarian ang Digmang Bayan had an issue with a festival, he reached out to me and offered his support. Such empathy from a great director. Kisapmata is on my top 10 films along with Himala. Salamat sa inspirasyon, Direk Mike!”

Actor Fernando Josef, who heads Tanghalang Pilipino, thanked him for his support of a project: “Mike, thank you very much for the friendship, for your generosity and heartwarming all-out support and sincere wishes for the success of Tanghalang Pilipino’s version of your classic Kisapmata. We will remember you forever. ”

Actor Audie L. Gemora recalled being cast as an extra in Batch ’81: “Not many know that he was my film teacher in DLSU Com Arts. I did my OJT doing production work for his award winning film Batch ‘81. During the shoot of the talent show sequence (done in the San Agustin gym), he instructed me to go up the stage and play the emcee. If you blink you’ll miss this shot. But for an impressionable young theater actor it was an unforgettable experience. Mike is one of Philippine cinema’s greats. He will live on thru his masterworks.”

For film producer Chuck Gutierrez, De Leon “defined what it means to be a Filipino filmmaker.”

“As director, writer, cinematographer, editor, and producer, he set the standard and showed the world the depth of the Filipino spirit. His films remain timeless testaments to truth, courage, and the soul of our nation,” he declared. “Generations of artists will forever draw strength and inspiration from his vision. Thank you, Mike, for your life and your work that shaped us all. Rest in power, my hero.”

Writer Ian Rosales Casocot considers De Leon as his favorite Filipino film director, “rightfully seen as our country’s Stanley Kubrick for the way he tackled all kinds of genres and made them bear his mark.”

“I know he had a reputation for being difficult and ornery, but I wish those things can be transcended and he be given a distinction truly and rightfully his: a National Artist for Cinema,” he wrote.

“I don’t know what to do anymore today. He must have fired me half a dozen times. And each time I saw a film of his I knew I deserved it,” reacted writer Angelo “Sarge” Lacuesta upon hearing the news.

“To answer the question ‘What is Mike de Leon to Philippine cinema’ is to ask what it would not have been without him,” he emphasized.