About Mike de Leon
Miguel "Mike" Pamintuan de Leon was a Filipino film director. He is regarded as one of the most significant filmmakers in the history of Philippine cinema. His films, which include Itim (1976), Kung Mangarap Ka't Magising (1977), Kakabakaba Ka Ba? (1980), Kisapmata (1981), Batch '81 (1981), Sister Stella L. (1984), Bayaning 3rd World (2000), and Citizen Jake (2018), tackle Philippine social and political themes. De Leon also shot and produced Lino Brocka's film Manila in the Claws of Light (1975), considered to be one of the greatest Filipino films. At the 1982 Metro Manila Film Festival, the film won 10 awards, including Best Picture as well as Best Director and Best Screenplay for De Leon. De Leon won the Gawad Urian Best Director award for the film. Starring Vilma Santos as the titular character, it was the first politically themed film from Regal Films after De Leon asked its founder Lily Monteverde to produce the film due to limited financial resources. Sister Stella L. later won 10 Gawad Urian awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and also competed for the Golden Lion at the 41st Venice International Film Festival.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.