"A visually sumptuous modernist monument whose beauty is at times of an unexpectedly Eisensteinian inspiration, Diaz's film is a work of utmost urgency." – Film Comment

At the end of the 19th century, a battle for independence is raging in the Philippines. On the periphery of the uprising, a wounded revolutionary treks through the jungle with a student poet – while, elsewhere, a widow's search for the body of a national hero is hindered by the interventions of a trio of horse-humans.

Drawing heavily from the history, literature and mythology of the Philippines, A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery is truly epic in scope; its eight-hour running time a canvas for director Lav Diaz (From What is Before, MIFF 2015; Norte, the End of History, MIFF 2014) to delve deep into the contours of Filipino identity, both past and present.

Winner of the Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize at the 2016 Berlin Film Festival.

"An ambitious statement by one of contemporary cinema's authentic radicals." – Screen Daily

Please note: this film will screen over two sessions, with a break. A single ticket will cover both sessions. Booking on a pass will take up two sessions.