Nick Deocampo is a filmmaker, historian, and pioneering advocate of queer cinema in the Philippines. In the 1980s in Paris, he studied under filmmaker and anthropologist Jean Rouch, among other radical artists. Deocampo’s 1983 documentary Oliver, about an impoverished female impersonator and nightclub performer, constituted a thunderclap in Filipino cinema. Denouncing military power at a moment of simmering discontent in Filipino society, Oliver (1983) raises awareness of potential political alliances between homosexuals and other marginalised groups embracing emancipatory philosophies and practices.

Deocampo continued to create new reference points in alternative Filipino culture with works that portray members of his community, including personal friends, in a generous light, such as Revolutions Happen like Refrains in a Song (1987) and The Sex Warriors & the Samurai (1995). His landmark works including Isaak (1994) and Private Wars (1997) critically reflect on patriarchy, and A Legacy of Violence (1989) explores the origins and mechanisms of violence that are intrinsically linked to social change. In addition to producing films, Deocampo is a prolific writer on the political and cultural history of the Philippines. He also organised an influential series of workshops that inspired international filmmakers. Deocampo continues to enrich the cinematic landscape with perspectives that are at once challenging, lucid, and loving.

Join Deocampo's upcoming talk on collective filmmaking in the Philippines.