INTERNATIONAL filmmaker Kidlat Tahimik has been awarded by the Amsterdam-based Prince Claus Fund for his exemplary achievements in visual arts and film.
The Baguio based Kidlat was chosen among 213 candidates.
He was recognized for his holistic, free-spirited and joyfully rebellious approach and lifetime commitment to independent creativity; charismatic role as a catalyst and thought leader inspiring people to tap into their own inner spirit; innovative works in multiple fields that reject imposed conventions in favor of an ingenious, pragmatic and environmentally aware DIY ethos and aesthetic; his vital and compelling filmmaking showing how to condemn and fight injustice while living joyfully; for his commitment to Philippine culture and pro-indigenous activism, creatively resisting cultural imperialism and showing that local ways and knowledge are a rich resource; and for his deep social engagement and generosity in doing whatever he can to change things for the better, building infrastructure, sharing his gifts and creating spaces of freedom.
Prince Claus Fund cited Kidlat as a self-described “Kultur Warrior”, artist in many disciplines, and a creative force in his community – his name means “quiet lightning” in the Tagalog language.
“Always using a low-budget DIY ethic, his work ranges from engaged performance to free-style architecture and carved installations. But it all started with film,” the citation reads.
While working as an economic researcher in Paris, he tore up his MBA diploma and quit his job. He joined a Bavarian artist’s commune where, helping a film student, he learned to shoot a 16mm camera.
Deeply inspired, he poured his heart and soul into his first film, Perfumed Nightmare (1977). A fictionalized version of his own dream trip to the West and disenchantment is a satirical critique of “undeveloped” nations’ obsession with the “overdeveloped” West. It won awards in international festivals and was Kidlat’s turning point back towards the Philippines.
An enthusiastic advocate of indigenous culture, Kidlat built a hut in an Ifugao tribe village where he teaches villagers to document their culture.
With his wife Katrin, Kidlat organizes conferences with indigenous peoples from around the world.
His subsequent films include: Why is Yellow Middle of Rainbow? (1980-94, aka I am Furious Yellow), a father-and-son chronicle of joyfully surviving the Philippines’ 1980s revolution and natural catastrophes; Turumba (1983) on the impact of globalization and Western religions on village families and crafts; and BalikBayan#1 or Memories of Overdevelopment Redux III (2015), a revisionist historical drama about Enrique, Magellan’s indigenous slave and technically the first person to circumnavigate the globe.
A passionate supporter of independent cinema, Kidlat returned his Lifetime Achievement award to protest Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Festival’s decision to merge the section for debutante filmmakers with veteran cineastes.
The Prince Claus Awards Committee met in December 2017 and drew up a shortlist for further research and second opinions from experts and advisors. During their second meeting in May 2018, the Awards Committee conducted in-depth assessments of the 27 shortlisted candidates for the awards.
The Prince Claus Fund was established in 1996 as a tribute to His Royal Highness Prince Claus's dedication to culture and development honoring outstanding achievements in the field of culture and development.
The award is presented annually to individuals, groups and organizations whose cultural actions have a positive impact on the development of their societies.
The 2018 Prince Claus Awards Committee is composed of Solange Farkas (chair), curator, São Paulo, Brazil; Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi, curator and visual artist, Sharjah, Emirate of Sharjah; Defne Ayas, curator, Rotterdam, the Netherlands/ Berlin, Germany; Tejumola Olaniyan, professor of African and English languages and literature, Madison, US; and Manuel de Rivero, architect and urbanist, Lima, Peru.
Other awardees this year include Market Photo Workshop from South Africa in the field of photography, Adong Judith from Uganda for theatre, Marwa al-Sabouni from Syria for architecture and urbanism, Eka Kurniawan from Indonesia for literature and O Menelick 2º Ato from Brazil for the field of media and journalism.