Lav Diaz leaves translator speechless with metaphors in viral interview

Lav Diaz's "Magellan," the Philippines' entry to Oscars 2026, has been making its rounds in international film festivals.

The film was most recently shown in New York, where the award-winning Filipino director cheekily used suggestive metaphors in an interview that gave his translator a pause.

New York Film Festival Artistic Director Dennis Lim asked Lav about casting Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal for the title role.

"Mula pa sa simula si Gael na ang pinili namin. Noong nag-sesex kami nina  (Magellan producers) Joaquim Sapinho saka Albert Serra, napag-usapan namin na si Gael lang ang Magellan," Lav said.

His translator, the writer Gil Quito, was visibly taken aback and sought clarification before translating it to English.

When he translated it like Lav said it, the audience burst into laughter.

"That was an accurate translation, yes?" Dennis said.

"I wasn't sure I heard right," Gil answered.

But Lav was not yet done with his quips.

"Kinausap siya ni Albert saka Joaquim, pumayag naman si Gael. Kasi sabi niya, OK lang kasi katulad ko rin si Lav na m----------," he said.

Gil's translation was met with more chuckles and Lav patted a smiling Gael, who was right beside him, on the shoulder.

Lav later said it was just a metaphor.

Some users on X saw a clip of the interview, leading some to take Lav's statement literally or get confused if it was a joke or not.

In a previous guesting at the "Ang Walang Kuwentang Podcast" hosted by Filipino directors Antoinette Jadaone and JP Habac, Lav also made similar suggestive jokes.

In the episode, Lav said inviting someone to masturbate means to work on creating something.

Lav is known for slow cinema, with his films running for several hours. Among his works include "Ang Hele Sa Hiwagang Hapis," "Norte, The End of History," and "Batang West Side."

"Magellan," which has a running time of 2 hours and 45 minutes, will be submitted by the Philippines to the Best International Film Feature category at the Oscars. —JCB, GMA Integrated News