Looking for something to do to fill your day? Try watching a film, an award-winning, eight-hour film that is.
The Lav Diaz opus Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis (A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery) won the Alfred Bauer Prize at the 66th Berlin Film Fetival.
It is given to feature films that open new perspectives in cinema.
Running for eight hours, Hele is the longest ever to compete in the festival. It was warmly received by the audience when it was shown on Feb 18. The film festival wrapped up Saturday, February 20.
It is a story that dwells on Filipino literature, history, and mythology.
Surprisingly, it features pop culture heart-throbs Piolo Pascual and John Lloyd Cruz in starring roles.
Lav Diaz is an independent film maker who has received numerous international awards for his work, including Best Picture in the Singapore International Film Festival, Golden Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival, and the Un Certain Regard at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.
Lav Diaz is known in the Philippines for having an unusual approach to filmmaking. In 2007, he created a nine-hour epic Death in the Land of Encantos.
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