Paolo Villaluna

Paolo is an undergraduate of Communication Arts in University of the Philippines Los Banos and was a graduate of the Documentary Workshop in Mowelfund Film Institute Batch 2000.

In 2001, Paolo made his first short documentary,“PALUGID” (Margins) and won the Best Short Film at the 24th Urian Awards, the Documentary Prize at the 2000 Gawad CCP Awards and the Audience Award at the eKsperimento International Film Festival 2001. His subsequent short films have been screened in several international film festivals including Yamagata,[2] Clermont-Ferrand[3] and Rotterdam.[4]

In 2005, together with co-director and animator Ellen Ramos, he began the “Love Trilogy” a triptych of full-length films that explore the dark nuances of romantic relationships.

The first film, ILUSYON (Illusion) became the first local digital film to be Rated A by the Cinema Evaluation Board, ushering an era of industry acceptance for digital films in the Philippines. The film was also awarded with CJ Selections at the 2006 Busan International Film Festival.[5]

In 2007, their second film SELDA (The Inmate) aside from winning local awards, was the first Filipino film to be accepted in the main competition of both the Montreal World Film Festival[6][7] and the Thessaloniki International Film Festival.[8] Sid Lucero and Emilio Garcia tied as Best Actors in Thessaloniki for the film.[9]

The “Love Trilogy” ended with 2009's WALANG HANGGANG PAALAM (Endless Farewell) which won the Best World Showcase award in Soho International Film Festival in New York in 2010.[10]

In 2009, he made his TV directorial debut with STORYLINE for the ABS-CBN New Channel. His television work has garnered several back-to-back Gawad Tanglaw awards,[11] a Catholic Mass Media award and several New York Film Festival medals.[12][13]

In 2010, he began to work for advertising as an in-house director for the country's biggest TVC production supplier, Filmex.[14][15]

His fourth and latest film is 2016's PAUWI NA (Pedicab). The film won the prestigious Golden Goblet Award at the 20th Shanghai International Film Festival.[16] It also won six major awards in the Tofarm Film Festival including the Special Jury Prize and the Best Acting nods for leading actors Bembol Roco and Cherry Pie Picache.[17][18][19]

Paolo occasionally writes opinion pieces[20][21] and directs short documentaries[22] for Rappler, an online multi media website.

• Patricia Evangelista