Sari Dalena

Directing

Sari Dalena

Sari Dalena is an independent filmmaker from the Philippines and holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Film Production from New York University. She has been the recipient of the Fulbright-Hayes scholarship, New York Asian Cultural Council Fellowship, NYU Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Fellowship, and the 13 Artists Award at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Her films have screened at v…

Known For

CinemartyrsCinemartyrs · 2025
Cinemartyrs
2025
MovieDrama
A young filmmaker is bent on recreating forgotten massacres from Philippine history, but when she begins shooting at a site where 1,000 men, women, and children were slaughtered, angry spirits are awakened and the lives of her team and the local villagers are put in peril.
Ka OryangKa Oryang · 2011
Ka Oryang
★ 1.82011
MovieDrama
A young woman witnesses the beginnings of a revolution during Martial Law.
The Guerilla is a PoetThe Guerilla is a Poet · 2013
The Guerilla is a Poet
2013
MovieDocumentaryDrama
The tale of an activist’s journey during the turbulent years of Martial Law, until his capture in the mountains and the dark, nine years of imprisonment that followed, leading to his birth as a poet.
My Body, My Rules, & ThemMy Body, My Rules, & Them · 2023
My Body, My Rules, & Them
2023
MovieDrama
The film is an exploration of the queer body’s struggle to attain validation and evade exploitation. In a society where queer identities have always struggled to be recognized, our bodies have often been a medium of our expression and avenue for satisfaction. However, we, as a community, have subjected ourselves as victims to a system that exploits our vulnerabilities and bodies, to the point of moral decay.
Himala NgayonHimala Ngayon · 2012
Himala Ngayon
★ 9.02012
MovieDocumentary
A 2012 documentary about the making and the legacy of the 1982 drama masterpiece directed by Ishmael Bernal that ended up being one of the greatest Asian films of all time. The revelations about the theory of "Who killed Elsa?" will be answered and also, the impact of the film to the Filipino culture and society.
Concrete ConflictsConcrete Conflicts · 2024
Concrete Conflicts
2024
MovieDocumentary
A short experimental documentary on the loss of urban spaces and the fight to reclaim them as pedestrians, commuters, and PUV drivers face a transport crisis in the Philippines.
History of the UndergroundHistory of the Underground · 2017
History of the Underground
2017
MovieDocumentaryHistory
An examination of the tumultuous times of Filipino activists and revolutionaries from the end of World War II through Martial Law.
Viva Villa!Viva Villa!
Viva Villa!
MovieDocumentary
A documentary on National Artist for Literature Jose Garcia Villa, whose first love was painting and whose sensuous prose got him into trouble as a college student. He would later move to New York City to become a celebrated writer pushing the boundaries of poetry.

Filmography

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Memories of a Forgotten WarMemories of a Forgotten War · 2001
Memories of a Forgotten War
★ 4.02001
MovieDocumentary
The Filipino-American War is quite possibly the past century’s least known armed conflict, especially troubling as its horrors foreshadowed so many of the horrors to come. Everything that we later saw in the Korean, Vietnam and, most recently, the Gulf Wars - from water boarding to search-and-destroy tactics - already happened during the USA’s first major 'civilizing mission' abroad, as it was sold to the public at the time. In the decade following the Spanish-American War, more Filipinos were killed by US troops than by the Spanish during the 300 years of colonial rule. More than 1 million Filipinos died between 1899 and 1913. This experimental documentary about the Philippine-American War of 1899 combines archival photographs and turn of the century film, digital video and 16mm footage to create memories of a forgotten history. A contemporary Filipina-American narrator weaves this complex history through historiography, experimental documentary and intercultural cinema.

Director