UNCANNING SENSE OF HONEST EYES

BY CARL KAYNE VALERIANO AND MARLA EUDELA

Born as Eric de Guia, Kidlat tahimik was born and currently resides in Baguio City. He is a 75-year old father of three namely Kidlat, Kabunyan, and and Kawayan to his German wife.

“I am Kidlat Tahimik. I choose my vehicle, and I can cross all bridges”, From Kidlat Tahimik’s 4 decade old film, Perfumed nightmare

Born as Eric de Guia, Kidlat tahimik was born and currently resides in Baguio City. He is a 75-year old father of three namely Kidlat, Kabunyan, and and Kawayan to his German wife. Kidlat owns a treehouse food hub which he named as the Ili-ilikha Artist Village, it is a multi-level establishment built around overgrown trees. It is a structure designed with an assemblage of raw materials and different artworks. Whether you may be related to him or not, he prefers to be called as “tatay” to show our nature as Filipinos. He is a renowned filmmaker, artist, and an icon of the Cordillera Region.

He found himself in the field of films by the age of 33 and he is now known for his unique and intimate avenue to his works that made him an award-winning artist. His name made a blare with his remarkable films that renounced him as “The Father of the Philippine indie films”. His films have no scripts, his cinematic has no plans and he said that he leaves his works depending on the flow depicted from “above”, so you really can’t go wrong with it. The origin of Kidlat’s environmental and experimental approach to visual arts are from the spirits of the trees, plants, and elves that are informed by our culture and upbringing.

Kidlat Tahimik has been in the play for more than 4 decades and he remains a strong influence to the aspiring ones. He advised the youth to always be smart and be wise enough to restrain from being submissive of everything that is given to them, especially with the uprise of modern technology and become prisoners of it. He also advised the aspiring filmmakers to stay connected to their environment, enjoy their artistry, and they should not be afraid of “playing” with their works. Kidlat Tahimik implied that primitive art will continue to run in Filipino history to remind us of our roots and legacy.