Rediscovery of lost Filipino Classic film in the CINEMATEK archive
Research within the CINEMATEK archive has recently identified Diwata ng Karagatan (Goddess of the Sea), a long-lost Filipino film directed by Carlos Vander Tolosa in 1936. Believed to have been missing for nearly ninety years, not only is it considered a national treasure, it is recognised as one of the oldest surviving titles in Philippine cinema.
The 35mm print, comprising four reels, was deposited at CINEMATEK in 1969 by the Belgian film laboratory Labor Ciné. Due to the fragile condition of the nitrate film, a safety copy was made in 2003. At the time, it was catalogued as a French production under the title Ligaya, fille des îles, following earlier European distribution records from the late 1930s and 1940s.
Research into the film’s content, credits, and provenance ( supported by documentation from CINEMATEK’s library and press archives) revealed that Ligaya, fille des îles corresponds to Diwata ng Karagatan, originally released in Manila in 1936 and distributed in Europe under several titles, including La déesse de la mer, La fée de l’océan, and Wong le tyran.
This rediscovery came to light thanks to the initiative of Filipino film historian Nick Deocampo and researcher Louise Baterna, who visited CINEMATEK in October 2024 to examine the 35mm print. Together with our staff, they viewed what is currently the only known surviving copy of the film.
“Since after its last exhibition at Fox Theater in Manila, nothing has been heard of it until the war broke out in 1941. All movies in Manila disappeared with the war. Thankfully, a copy of the film has now been found abroad.” – Deocampo.
The surviving version runs approximately 44 minutes and contains a French commentary track, suggesting it was edited for the French-speaking market. As noted by Deocampo, the film fell victim to early practices of piracy and misattribution: a copy, likely controlled by a French distributor, was shortened, re-edited, and released as a French production. Scenes were reordered, some content was removed, and the original Filipino credits were erased. This process effectively obscured the film’s authorship and origins, erasing both its cultural context and the contributions of its cast and crew.
Belgian newspapers record screenings between 1939 and 1944, providing further evidence of its European circulation. Although the surviving print is a shortened French-language version, it remains a crucial piece of Southeast Asian film heritage and a valuable testament to early Philippine cinema’s international reach.
CINEMATEK is in contact with Filipino film institutions to explore possible avenues for digital preservation and restoration, ensuring that this rediscovered treasure can once again be seen and studied by audiences and researchers worldwide.