The Search for Weng Weng 2007In the 1960s, 70s and 80s the Filipino film industry, encouraged by the dictator Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda, was the second biggest in the world, producing over 300 films a year. Foreign productions, such as Apocalypse Now, came to film in the Philippines but with the fall of Marcos in 1986 money and productions came to a halt. Perhaps the high point of Philippines filmmaking was the Manilla International Film Festival of 1982 when producers and stars came from around the world. This festival was intended to showcase high quality Filipino films, but the success story was a 2’9” actor named Weng Weng whose resume featured such films as the James Bond spoofs Agent 00 (1980) and For Y’ur Height Only (1981) and westerns Da Best In Da West (1981) and D’Wild, Wild Weng (1982) made by a company named Liliw Productions, with whom he went to Cannes in 1982. Then just as suddenly as he had appeared Weng Weng disappeared from sight.
Video store owner and film geek Andrew Leavold had loved Weng Weng’s films for 20 years and in 2006 set out on an odyssey to the Philippines to find out what he could about his life and. Unfortunately, Leavold did not have the opportunity to talk to Weng Weng himself, he passed away in 1992, but his brother Celing de la Cruz and Celing's wife Edita were happy to fill in the gaps. The result is "The Search for Weng Weng", a documentary that is not only about Weng Weng but also about the highs and lows of the Filipino film industry in its halcyon days.

Director: Andrew Leavold
Cast: Tikoy Aguiluz, Roy Arabejo, Tilman Baumgaertel
Country: Australia | Philippines
Genre: Documentary | Comedy, Western

DVD9 + DVD5 | PAL 16:9 | 01:32:48 + 01:22:15 | 7.83 Gb + 4.13 Gb + 3% rec
Language: English
Subtitles: English hardcoded for some dialogue

Extras:

DISC ONE
* The Film
Audio commentary by Director Andrew Leavold
Extended Scene: Weng Weng’s Neighbourhood & Grave (8:50)
Eddie Nicart Interview (50:10)
Deleted Scene: Palito Interview (16:42)
Q&A at SUFF (37:57)

DISC TWO
"D’Wild, Wild Weng" 1982 film (82:15)
"I Love Weng Weng" Music Video (3:17)
Image Gallery (4:16)