Kidlat Tahimik: The Father of Philippines Independent Cinema
In this 21st century, while we are celebrating Independent cinema, we see many incredible independent movies from the Philippines, but we cannot help but who was the father of Philippine independent cinema. So we dig some digging and found out the father of Philippine independent cinema, Kidlat Tahimik.
Who is Kidlat Tahimik?
“The father of the Philippine indie film,” Kidlat Tahimik is a director, actor, screenwriter, and producer. Werner Herzog introduced Tahimik to the West, noting that his films from the 1970s are among the most progressive of their period. Tahimik is the father of the “Philippine New Wave” and a significant critic of postcolonialism and the imbalance of power in the world.
His contribution to the indie film industry
Mr. Kidlat Tahimik participated in each and every stage of the production of the movie, from authoring the story to filming, editing, performing, and producing. By doing this, he has significantly contributed to the culture of cinema worldwide and has received praise from all over the world for his particular manner of portraying a uniquely Filipino combination of third-world self-consciousness and pride, wrapped up in his own unique sense of humor.
Herzog assisted him in the presentation of his most well-known, partially autobiographical work, Perfumed Nightmare, together with Francis Ford Coppola. His fusion of documentary methods, cinematic essays, and diary films has already established itself as a masterpiece. Since his debut, Kidlat Tahimik has established a name for himself as an innovator whose incisive critique of the wealth gap and other social concerns is based on mild humor, everydayness, as well as a love of kid-friendly games and puns.
Notable films in his career
Feature films
- Perfumed Nightmare (1977)
- Who Invented the Yoyo? Who Invented the Moon Buggy? (1982)
- Turumba (1983)
- Takedera Mon Amour: Diary of a Bamboo Connection (1991)
- Why Is Yellow the Middle of the Rainbow? (with Kidlat Gottlieb Kalayaan; also known as I Am Furious… Yellow, 1989 and 1994)
- BalikBayan #1: Memories of Overdevelopment (Redux III, 2015; Redux VI, 2017)
- Lakbayan (segment: “Kabayan’s Journey to Liwanang”, 2018)
Short films
The films listed here are less than 50 minutes in length:
- Yan Ki Made in Hong Kong (1980)
- Orbit 50: Letters to My 3 Sons (1992)
- Celebrating the Year 2021, Today (1995)
- Japanese Summers of a Filipino Fundoshi (1996)
- Banal Kahoy (Holy Wood) (2000)
- Aqua Planet (2003)
- Some More Rice (2005)
- Our Film — Grimage to Guimaras (2006)
- BUBONG! Roofs of the World! Unite! (2006)
- Ang Balikbayan: Memories of Overdevelopment 1980–2010 (2010)
This is the true untold story of an Asian pioneer indie filmmaker, Mr. Kidlat Tahimik.
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