Founder and director of Cinemanila International Film Festival.
A British Council Grant led to further film studies and training in film archiving at the British Film Institute.
Graduated from the University of the Philippines with degrees in comparative literature and fine arts.
His documentary "Mt. Banahaw, Holy Mountain" won a Silver Trophy at the prestigious Young Filmmakers of Asia Festival in Iran.
Was the co-founder in 1976 of the UP Film Center (now UP Film Institute) where he served as its assistant director until 1990.
His film "Segurista" ("Dead Sure") was chosen as the Philippines' official entry for the Academy Awards' Best Foreign-Language Film category in 1996.
Served on the jury of the film festivals in Berlin, Pusan (South Korea), Singapore, Vesoul (France), Delhi, and Kerala in India, among others.
Was a recipient of a John D. Rockefeller III Grant to study filmmaking at the New York University and film archiving at the Library of Congress Film Archives in Washington, DC and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
In 2003 he was bestowed the Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) by the French government in recognition of his significant contributions to Philippine cinema.