Brillante Mendoza

One of the most prominent and influential Filipino filmmakers today, Brillante Mendoza is known for his neo-realist direction and his depiction of social realities and the lives of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. Mendoza is the first Filipino to have competed and won at the Big Three international film festivals. His film “Captive” competed at the Berlinale, while “Tirador” (Slingshot) won the Caligari Film Award. At the Venice Film Festival, “Thy Womb” won the La Navicella Venezia Cinema Award, while “Lola” was nominated for the Golden Lion. In 2019, he became the first Filipino to win the Best Director Award at the Cannes Film Festival for “Kinatay”. In 2014, he was awarded France’s Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in recognition of his contributions to cinema and the arts.