Three Directors I've Been Into Recently

Still from Lav Diaz's The Halt

This might be a very basic list, but that's because deep down I am a very basic man. Anyways, here are 3 Asian film director I love for APIDA month!

Satyajit Ray

In my personal opinion, one of the most prolific film directors to come from the Indian Subcontinent. His work focuses more on the mundane and lives of people, counter to the mainstream glitz and glamour of Bollywood.

My favorite work of his is Devi, a film about a young girl who is pedestalize as a goddess, but as an entry point I definitely recommend his first film Pather Panchali.

Lav Diaz

One could argue Diaz as the face of modern slow cinema. Known for sprawling epics, cine-novels as he calls them, Lav Diaz's work has never failed to capture my attention. Centering the Philippines and it's diaspora, his work utilizes long scenes to feel in the moment. There is a scene at the start of 'Tale of Filipino Violence' that has completely consumed my mind ever since I saw it. I highly recommend his work, his newest film Magellan is on Criterion Channel right now, which is the story of Ferdinand Magellan, a very good film in my opinion.

Jia Zhangke

A new director I recently started watching, so I'm not totally well versed. His film 'Ash is Purest White' is a fascinating though, a look at the development of China in the early 21st century. I highly recommend it, his works have a lot of themes of 'ancient' concepts in modern times, sort of similar to the neo-western genre to me. The film was also shot on different cameras to show the development of technology which is also super cool to me