Kidlat still unchanged, unfazed by National Artist accolade

Kidlat Tahimik

Filmmaker Kidlat Tahimik swears his being inducted as National Artist for Film in 2018 hasn’t changed him a bit.

“It’s a nice pat on the back, but I don’t think it would change my style because I’m already 77. I’m an old dog; and as they say, you can’t teach us new tricks anymore,” said the artist whose real name is Eric de Guia. “I cannot change the way I trust the cosmos. I still cannot work for a money-oriented industry. I have to have time for my film sequences to breathe—I need to have three or 10 years in between,” he told Inquirer Entertainment. “My work style is still the same. The title just makes me more mabango to producers.”The Baguio City-based artist added: “I’m happy with the way I am… I once told my students, don’t be intimidated by my National Artist title. As far as I’m concerned, I’m still your ‘National Tatay.’”—MARINEL CRUZ INQ