Signed: Lino Brocka

A film about the life and career of the Philippine director Lino Brocka whose life-story offers a penetrating picture of the recent history of his country. Brocka relates the way in which the trauma of his catholic upbringing, his work as a Mormon missionary in a colony of lepers, his homosexuality and his political activism have given shape to his life and films. Over the past 20 years he has made almost 50 movies among which are many commercial products (we take a look behind the scenes of the Philippine soap operas and the stereotype romantic- and action-genre) which brought in enough money to make his socio-political films partially realizable financially: these are serious films in which Brocka openly protests against poverty, injustice and Ferdinand Marcos' (meanwhile overthrown) dictatorship. This part of his oeuvre rendered him the population's mouthpiece and a political hero. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)