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Lav Diaz stands up to autocracy with new film in Berlin

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ABS-CBN News

<p>Lav Diaz shot his 4-hour black-and-white film &quot;Ang Panahon ng Halimaw&quot; (&quot;Season of the Devil&quot;) to illustrate the Filipinos&#x27; seemingly endless struggle against despotic leaders. </p><p>A &quot;rock opera&quot; that takes place during the martial-law era in the Philippines in the 1970s, &quot;Ang Panahon ng Halimaw&quot; has been described as Diaz&#x27;s &quot;seething critique&quot; against authoritarianism. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/02/21/18/lav-diazs-panahon-ng-halimaw-debuts-in-berlin-what-critics-are-saying">READ: Lav Diaz&#x27;s &#x27;Panahon ng Halimaw&#x27; debuts in Berlin: What critics are saying</a></li></ul><p>It became Diaz&#x27;s pass to this year&#x27;s Berlin International Film Festival, wherein he&#x27;s in the running for the main prize. <br/><br/><strong>Warning: Video below has strong language</strong></p><div><script src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v2.5" async="" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/berlinale/videos/10156192408133281" data-width="auto"> </div><p>Speaking before reporters at the festival, Diaz explained that &quot;the Filipinos&#x27; struggle is humanity&#x27;s struggle.&quot; </p><p>&quot;That&#x27;s why you can relate to our stories as well,&quot; he said, before adding that the modern world, in a case of history repeating itself, is again facing an uphill battle against &quot;fascism and barbarism.&quot; </p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s everywhere, we have the same struggles. Why do we still have guys like Duterte, Trump and all those motherf****rs?&quot;</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/tvpatrol/02/17/piolo.jpg"/><figcaption>A scene from &#x27;Ang Panahon ng Halimaw&#x27; featuring Kapamilya star Piolo Pascual. <em>Photo credit: Giovanni D. Onofrio</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>Diaz describes &quot;Ang Panahon ng Halimaw&quot; as a &quot;rock opera.&quot; </p><p>It features 33 of his original compositions, as performed by the likes of Piolo Pascual, Shaina Magdayao and Bituin Escalante. </p><p>It is one of 19 films competing for the prestigious Golden Bear prize at the festival, and you can read its official synopsis below: </p><p>&quot;In the late 1970s, a military-controlled militia is oppressing a remote village in the Philippine jungle. The uniformed men armed with machine guns are responsible for spreading a terror that is both physical and psychological in nature. </p><p>&quot;They create an atmosphere in which neighbors become enemies and seek to eradicate the villagers’ faith in legends and spirits. Fearless young doctor Lorena opens a clinic for the poor, but disappears without a trace shortly afterwards. </p><p>&quot;Her husband, the poet, activist and teacher Hugo Haniway, wants to find out the truth of his wife’s whereabouts. When he arrives, he is confronted with a community shattered by despotism and violence.&quot;</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AC1UqgED7yI?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="~//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="~//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>"Ang Panahon ng Halimaw" ("Season of the Devil") is meant to illustrate the Filipinos' seemingly endless struggle against dictators.</p>

"Ang Panahon ng Halimaw" ("Season of the Devil") is meant to illustrate the Filipinos' seemingly endless struggle against dictators.