In the mood for Lav

Photos by Melo Esguerra

A polaroid portrait of Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz (top left) hangs at the Lincoln Center in New York as part of its Cinema Legends and Icons of the Film World series.

Diaz shares wall space with world-renowned filmmakers, among them (clockwise from top right) Martin Scorsese, Pedro Almodovar and Robert Redford, says Melo Esguerra, a staunch supporter of Diaz’s “Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan.”

Meanwhile, indieWIRE’s Peter Knegt has named “Norte” as one of 20 frontrunners in the Oscar Best Foreign Language Film race.

It is one of three Asian films on the list, along with Turkey’s “Winter Sleep” and Hong Kong’s “The Golden Era.”

“Norte” is the Philippines’ bet in next year’s Oscars. Bayani San Diego Jr.