Marilou Diaz-Abaya
belongs to a breed of Filipino filmmakers who had formal training. After graduating from the Assumption College of Manila, she obtained her Master of Arts in Film and Television from the Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and pursued her post-graduate studies at the London International Film School.
Soon after, she involved herself with the local film industry which credits her for the invaluable contribution she has made in bringing to reality the plight of the often marginalized but brave Filipino woman.
Her films have been exhibited at the festivals of London, Berlin, Sceaux, Fukuoka, Tokyo, Hawaii, Hongkong, Shanghai, Cairo, New Delhi, Damascus, and Singapore. Her works have garnered awards and citations from various local and international award-giving bodies. She has megged full-length features which are acclaimed not only for their success at the box office but also for their daring subject matters such as: violence against women in Brutal, incest and the imprisoning constraints of social mores in Karnal, double-standard norms in gender behavior in Moral.
She is a founding member, one time President and currently an officer of the Directors Guild of the Philippines (DGPI), President of Neptune Productions, and Film Instructor at the Ateneo de Manila University. In addition, she directs political and public affairs programs for television.
Two of her latest films Sa Pusod Ng Dagat and Jose Rizal, the biggest budgeted film in the history of local cinema, garnered both national and international awards and have seen participation in several international film festivals including Berlin. Muro-ami continues the acclaimed director's winning streak.
(9th International Women's Film Festival, March 1998)
FILMOGRAPHY
Brutal
José Rizal
Karnal
Kung Ako'y Iiwan Mo
Sa Pusod Ng Dagat
Muro Ami
