Legendary Filipino filmmaker Mike De Leon, 78

PHILIPPINE cinema icon Mike De Leon passed away on Aug. 28 at the age of 78. His death was confirmed by his family to the French film distributor Carlotta Films.

The Film Development Council of the Philippines posted a Facebook tribute to the legendary director, whom they called “a voice for the unheard.”

“Today, Aug. 28, 2025, the FDCP joins the entire film industry in mourning the passing of visionary filmmaker Mike De Leon,” the council shared in its post.

FDCP chairman Jose Javier Reyes said, “His life was dedicated to film. His consistent imagination to explore the language of cinema shaped what we understand of Philippine filmmaking today.”

Mr. De Leon was known for Philippine cinema classics such as Itim (1976), Kakabakaba Ka Ba? (1980), Kisapmata (1981), Batch ’81 (1982), and Sister Stella L (1984).

The post went on to say that he “shone a light on the beauty and pain of the downtrodden and repressed, bringing their stories to the cultural forefront.”

He was born on March 24, 1947, to film producer Manuel de Leon and Imelda Pamintuan. He was also the paternal grandson of LVN Studios matriarch Narcisa “Sisang” de Leon. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree from the Ateneo de Manila University, he completed a degree in art history at the University of Heidelberg in Germany.

In 1975, he put up the production company Cinema Artists Philippines. The first film it produced was Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag (1975), another Philippine film classic, directed by Lino Brocka. Here, Mr. De Leon served as the cinematographer.

One of his latest works was the award-winning 2018 film Citizen Jake. — B.H. Lacsamana