Kanakan-Balintagos

Kanakan-Balintagos, also known as Auraeus Solito, is an internationally acclaimed Filmmaker & a Palanca award-winning Playwright. He is one of the pioneers of Independent Cinema in the Philippines. His feature films have been shown in major film festivals around the world including Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, Montreal and Berlin. He was included in Phaidon Press' book "Take 100" which featured 100 New Directors who are the Future of Film.

He was born in Sampaloc, Manila and comes from a lineage of Shaman-Kings from the indigenous Palawán of South Palawan. Kanakan-Balintagos , his tribal name, which was dreamt by his shaman-uncle means "Hunter of Truth" in the indigenous Palawanon language.

His first film "Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros" ushered in the third Golden Age of Philippine Cinema and inspired a new generation of independent filmmaking. The breakthrough film won 15 international awards including 3 awards at the Berlinale and was the first Philippine film nominated for Best Foreign film at the Independent Spirit Awards in Hollywood. It was also the first Filipino film at Robert Redford's SUNDANCE Film Festival.