One of the most celebrated Filipino filmmakers, Lav Diaz has carved out a singular place in the international film scene with his epic portraits of the human condition. His work is firmly rooted in his country’s troubled history, while also transcending the local context through its revolutionary spirit and desire for change. With his durational film projects Diaz pushes the boundaries of what cinema can be, his films averaging six hours in length, some being nine hours or more. For his first exhibition in Belgium, the festival is featuring an overview of his work, in collaboration with Cinema Galleries. For the full three weeks of Kunstenfestivaldesarts, there is an exhibition and a retrospective revealing Diaz’s storytelling instincts and sensibilities along with his filmmaking style, reminiscent of such cinematic poets as Andrei Tarkovsky, Robert Bresson and Béla Tarr. In viewing his films, one feels the crushing weight of his obsession with trauma, suffering and the darkest sides of humanity. In the bleakest of situations his ambitious and irrepressible search for poetry makes that through the painful truths glimmers of hope emerge. Lav Diaz will also premier a cinematographic and musical performance conceived and composed as a response to past and present events in the Philippines and the World.

Alongside the exhibition, a retrospective and a masterclass with Lav Diaz are also organised. More information and full programme on the Cinema Galeries website