| From What Is Before | |
| Director: | Lav Diaz |
| Cinematography: | Lav Diaz |
| Editing: | Lav Diaz |
| Studio: | Sine Olivia Pilipinas |
| Runtime: | 338 minutes |
| Country: | Philippines |
From What Is Before (Tagalog: Mula sa Kung Ano ang Noon) is a 2014 Filipino drama film directed by Lav Diaz. The film follows a remote town in the Philippines during the 1970s under the Marcos dictatorship. The film had its world premiere in the Philippines on July 3, 2014, and competed at the 2014 Locarno International Film Festival where it won the main prize, the Golden Leopard.[1]
The film also had its North American premiere at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, under the Wavelengths section. In addition, the film had its Philippine screening held for free on September 21, 2014. The film had its U.S. premiere, as part of the World Cinema section, at the 2014 AFI Fest. The film won Best Picture at the Gawad Urian.
The Philippines, 1972. Mysterious things are happening in a remote barrio. Wails are heard from the forest, cows are hacked to death, a man is found bleeding to death at the crossroad and houses are burned. Ferdinand E. Marcos announces Proclamation No. 1081 putting the entire country under Martial Law.
Everything became a mess when the Armed Forces of the Philippines decided to camp in the barrio. Or was it already messed up before?
Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator gives the film an approval rating of 89% based on 9 reviews, with a weighted average of 7/10.[2]
| Year | Event | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Locarno Film Festival | Golden Leopard for Best Film | From What Is Before | |
| 2015 | 38th Gawad Urian Awards | Best Film | From What Is Before | |
| Best Direction | Lav Diaz | |||
| Best Screenplay | ||||
| Best Editing | ||||
| Best Production Design | Perry Dizon | |||
| Best Sound | Marc Locsin | |||
| Best Actress | Hazel Orencio | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Roeder Camañag | |||
| Noel Sto. Domingo | ||||
| Best Supporting Actress | Karenina Haiel | |||