MANILA, Philippines?The historic province of Pampanga often figures as the landscape and playground for the over-the-top ideas of Cannes Film Festival award-winning director Brillante ?Dante? Mendoza.

Mendoza, who was born and raised in the small barrio of San Isidro in San Fernando, says the local scenery has had a profound influence on his art.

?The province is very rich visually,? says Mendoza, who spent most of his young life in Pampanga which he left only when he went to study fine arts at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila.

His father, Pastor Mendoza, was a farmer, and his mother, Gervacia Mendoza, a homemaker who took in embroidery work on the side.

?I think I got my love for plants and gardening from my father and my love for the arts from my mother,? he says.

Mendoza has set four of his eight movies in Pampanga which, until the devastating series of eruptions of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991 wiped out some of the country?s most fertile plains, was a prime producer of sugar and rice.

Social realist

But unlike the social realist filmmakers of previous generations who mined Pampanga?s history of agrarian unrest as the cradle of post-war, left-wing rebellion, Mendoza has far more urban and contemporary concerns.

In ?Masahista? (Masseur) he featured Pampanga?s parol (lantern) festival, held on Christmas Eve and featuring a parade of giant lanterns in kaleidoscopic designs.

?Kaleldo? (Summer Heat) and ?Manoro? (Aeta Teacher) treat a very recent part of Pampanga history when the province was devastated physically and economically by the Pinatubo eruptions and the resulting volcanic ash slides. The former uses the lahar-ravaged towns for a backdrop, while the latter contrasts lush rainforests with the dry, barren lahar-scape.

?Serbis? is set in Angeles City, the town that hosted the US Clark Air Base whose presence spawned a thriving hospitality industry of countless bars and nightclubs and restaurants and thousands of prostitutes. The story revolves around a family that lives and operates a rundown porn theater in the declining base town and, according to the director, symbolizes American influence.

Quaint scenery

?Foreigners found the local scenery quaint. They also thought that the church buried in lahar was dramatic,? says Mendoza.

But more than the landscape, Mendoza is keen to show off Pampanga?s rich and distinctive culture.

?I?m proud that I get to show the richness of Kapampangan culture to the whole world,? he says.

He says foreign audiences also get acquainted with the Kapampangan language through his films. The four films set in Pampanga exclusively used Kapampangan dialogue.

Mendoza?s use of Pampanga as a setting for his films is part of his ?crusade to promote Kapampangan culture through films,? said Robby Tantingco, executive director of the Holy Angel University?s Center for Kapampangan Studies, which co-produced ?Manoro.?

Shoestring budget

His use of the Pampanga setting, context and characters began with ?Masahista,? says Tantingco. The film was shot in digital format on a shoestring budget in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga and Manila. It used Kapampangan-speaking actors Jaclyn Jose and Coco Martin.

The film won the Golden Leopard in the video competition of the 2005 Locarno International Film Festival, said to be the fourth biggest film festival in the world.

?Masahista? also won the Audience Award and Interfaith Award in the Turin and Brisbane film festivals in 2006.

?Kaleldo? was entirely shot in the town of Guagua, and tells the story of how a Kapampangan family survives 10 years after the Pinatubo eruptions.

It won the Netpac Award in the 2007 Jeonju International Film Festival. Its lead actress, Cherry Pie Picache, won best actress award in the 2007 Durban International Film Festival in South Africa.

All-Aeta cast

?Manoro,? which is cast entirely with Aeta from Sapang Bato, Angeles City, tells of the struggle of an Aeta woman who teaches the people from her village how to read and write to protect the tribe from electoral fraud and deception.

It won the best film award in the 2006 Cinemanila International Film Festival, earning also for Mendoza the best director award in the digital local competition section. It also took the CinemAvvenir Award in the 2006 Torino International Film Festival.

?Serbis? (Service) was a joint production of the Philippines and France?s Swift Production, with funding for the script from the Asian Cinema Fund of the 2007 Pusan International Film Festival.

In 2008, the City of San Fernando bestowed on Mendoza the Ten Outstanding Fernandino Award.

On Friday night, he received a special recognition from his provincemates for winning the Best Director Prize at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival last Sunday for ?Kinatay? (Slaughtered).

World-class artistry

Pampanga Gov. Eddie Panlilio said Mendoza?s feat at Cannes was ?proof of Kapampangan artistry and ingenuity that is world-class.?

?We salute Mr. Mendoza and we wish to thank him for serving as an inspiration to our people, especially our youth,? he said.

After winning awards and accolades abroad, Mendoza feels honored that his work is now being recognized by his countrymen.

Citation from Mandaluyong

Tomorrow, he will receive a special citation from the municipal government of Mandaluyong, which named him one of the Most Outstanding Mandaleño early this year.

?The people of Pampanga, along with the people of Mandaluyong where I now live, have always been the first to honor me,? he says.

?I am very happy for these awards, too.?

Tributes have also poured in from his peers.

?He honors us with the honors bestowed on him,? says film director Peque Gallaga.

Filmmaker and provincemate Elwood Perez, who presented to him the Most Outstanding Kapampangan Award six months ago, says: ?He has reached the pinnacle.?