Lav Diaz fans turn up in Tokyo fest screening

Filipino film director Lav Diaz. AP file photo

TOKYO—And you thought a Lav Diaz film would be a tough sell here at the 27th Tokyo International Film Festival, especially since it was screened on a Sunday, at 10:20 a.m.

Moreover, it was shown at Nihonbashi Toho Cinemas, roughly 30 minutes away from the main festival venue in Roppongi Hills.

Still, Diaz’s latest film, “Mula sa Kung Ano ang Noon,” attracted a modest number of loyal followers who almost filled up the 145-seater Cinema 9. They were mostly Japanese cineastes and students, plus a handful of Filipinos.

Interestingly, they stayed throughout the five-and-a-half-hour feature. Some would run out (ostensibly for toilet breaks) and come rushing back.

A majority participated in the 15-minute question-and-answer session with actor Joel Saracho.

The inquiries were mainly about Diaz and his “unique style.” One Japanese fan noted that there was “no forced moment” in the movie.

Some of the views said they also caught Diaz’s 2013 film, “Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan,” during last year’s Tokyo fest.

One said, visibly impressed, “It’s amazing that he got to make two long and wonderful films in just two years.”

Saracho reported that Diaz, a Locarno winner this year, could not be in Tokyo because he was deep in preproduction for a new film in Manila. Bayani San Diego Jr.