Mike De Leon (1947-2025)
We learned yesterday of the passing of one of the greatest Filipino directors, his family confirmed to French film distributor Carlotta Films (they released a box set of his films in France).
Mike De Leon's path in filmmaking is already a part of him. He's the grandson of LVN Pictures founder Narcisa "Sisang" De Leon, the matriarch who established their family's film business and gave it a commanding presence in the years following World War II in the country. When her son, Manuel De Leon took over, he pursued social-realist stories veering away from his mother's taste for popular romances mixed with song and dance (traditional awit and corrido).
De Leon emerged as one of the leading filmmakers in "Second Golden Age" of Philippine cinema along with directors Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal. Directors in these era experimented with new techniques despite tecnological constraints and persisted with their bold political themes as Martial Law threatened and prevented a creative renaissance in local filmmaking.
He first started as a producer and cinematographer. He produced what is considered as the greatest Philippine film of all time, Maynila, sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag (Manila in the Claws of Light - 1975). Collaborating with Lino Brocka and Clodualdo A. del Mundo Jr.
Then he made his first directorial debut with Itim (1976), starring Charo Santos in her first film role. Despite being a commercial failure, it has garnered favorable reviews over the years and provided insight in his style and vision. His next film, Kung Mangarap Ka't Magising (1977), a romance drama he dedicated to his grandmother's centennial birthday and perhaps a nod to her love for romance movies, which helped make their studio well-known.
Itim (1976)
Kung Mangrap Ka't Magising (1977)
A visionary and known for his razor-sharp social commentary, De Leon didn't hesitate to expose the problems in society that lies within normalcy, often critiquing his upper class upbringing and institutions. From domestic violence that simmers within a single home perpetuated by a tyrant father, outwardly symbolizing the Marcos dictatorship in Kisapmata (In the blink of an eye - 1981) to using fraternity life as lens in the nature of fascism and how even intelligent minds can sacrifice their humanity and free will in order to comply and belong in Batch '81 (1982).
In his lighter moments, he laced his work with biting satire in films like Kakabakaba Ka Ba? (Does Your Heart Beat Faster? - 1981), a closer look on how foreign control influences the Philippine economy. Aliwan Paradise (1993), a black comedy short part of the anthology film Southern Winds, set in semi-futuristic Philippines that critically examines and unsettlingly predicted the fixation of the entertainment industry in showcasing "poverty porn" and current trends to be the new opium of the masses.
He was also in initial talks to direct a Jose Rizal biopic with GMA Pictures but both dropped out. He eventually directed a mockumentary Bayaning 3rd World (3rd World Hero - 2000), starring Joel Torre, Ricky Davao and Cris Villanueva.
In 2018, he came out of retirement to co-write, produce, and direct Citizen Jake (2018), a bold return to filmmaking which he didn’t hold back a scathing critique of then-President Rodrigo Duterte.
Mike De leon, despite his known temperamental personality, has remained steadfast in pursuing cinematic excellence. He found courage to pursue and bring out the truth from the realities of the troubled years of the nation. From beginning til end, he slammed authoritarian regimes using his cinematic voice and gift of visual language. We hope that new and current film audience, filmmakers, practitioners and scholars still seek his works.
In Wim Wenders' documentary Room 666 (1982), he asked selected directors, which one of them is De Leon to answer the principal question about the future of cinema, he stated, “To ask a director like myself from the Philippines what the future of cinema is, I find, an absurd question. To ask what the future of cinema is in the Philippines, is like asking what the future of the Philippines is.”
Kisapmata (1981)
Batch '81 - 1982
Sister Stella L. (1984)
Kakabakaba Ka Ba? (1981)
Aliwan Paradise (1982)
Citizen Jake (2018)
My last memory of Mike De Leon was during the pandemic, when he was working to restore vintage Filipino films from his family’s studio archive and make them available online, perhaps his final gift.
