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Artists’ Choice #12: Erik Matti (director) lists his 10 Favorite Filipino Movies

is one of Asia’s most ambitious filmmakers. An assistant director to Peque Gallaga, he made his debut with 2 (1999), a sequel to his mentor’s erotic classic. He has made subversive horrors (Pa-siyam, Seklusyon), world-building fantasy epics (Tiktik, Exodus), gritty crime dramas (Ekis, On the Job) and costumed superhero films (Gagamboy, in-production Darna). While always audience-focused, Matti and his films are becoming more political; they have recently focused on systemic corruption and religious hypocrisy in the Philippines. BuyBust is his headiest achievement yet, spinning high-octane action tropes into a scathing commentary on the ongoing drug war. Here are his favorite Filippino films, in no particular order

1. Of the Flesh (Marilou Diaz-Abaya, 1983)

Karnal still

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2. Oro, Plata, Mata (Peque Gallaga, 1982)

Oro Plata Mata still

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3. Scorpio Nights (Peque Gallaga, 1985)

Scorpio still

4. (Ishmael Bernal, 1980)

City still

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5. (Uro Q. dela Cruz, 1984)

Misteryo still

6. (Maryo J. de los Reyes, 1978)

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7. Rage (Chito Roño, 1995)

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8. (Chito Roño, 1988)

Itanong still

9. , Pag-itim ng Tagak (Celso Ad. Castillo, 1978)

Pagputi still

10. Bunso: The Youngest (Ditsi Carolino, 2005 )

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About the author

Panos Kotzathanasis

Panagiotis (Panos) Kotzathanasis is a film critic and reviewer, specialized in Asian Cinema. He is the owner and administrator of Asian Movie Pulse, one of the biggest portals dealing with Asian cinema. He is a frequent writer in Hancinema, Taste of Cinema, and his texts can be found in a number of other publications including SIRP in Estonia, Film.sk in Slovakia, Asian Dialogue in the UK, Cinefil in Japan and Filmbuff in India.

Since 2019, he cooperates with Thessaloniki Cinematheque in Greece, curating various tributes to Asian cinema. He has participated, with video recordings and text, on a number of Asian movie releases, for Spectrum, Dekanalog and Error 4444. He has taken part as an expert on the Erasmus+ program, “Asian Cinema Education”, on the Asian Cinema Education International Journalism and Film Criticism Course.

Apart from a member of FIPRESCI and the Greek Cinema Critics Association, he is also a member of NETPAC, the Hellenic Film Academy and the Online Film Critics Association.

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