Ricky Lee

Ricky Lee is a Filipino screenwriter, playwright, journalist, and novelist whose work has shaped Philippine cinema and its screenwriting culture.

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Himala: A 1982 Filipino drama film directed by Ishmael Bernal and written by Ricky Lee. Lee’s screenplay made this film a defining example of his work in Philippine cinema.
Trip to Quiapo: Ricky Lee’s screenwriting handbook, presenting principles and exercises for developing a film story. It codifies the practical writing approach Lee developed across decades of scripts.
Ishmael Bernal: A Filipino film director known for socially observant and formally inventive films. Bernal directed Lee’s scripts for landmark films including Himala and Manila by Night.
New Philippine Cinema: A movement in Philippine filmmaking associated with formally ambitious, socially engaged films from the 1970s onward. Lee’s breakthrough screenwriting developed alongside the movement’s renewal of Philippine film.
Screenwriting education in the Philippines: Formal and informal teaching of scriptwriting for film and television in the Philippines. Lee’s workshops and handbook helped generations of Filipino writers develop screenplays.
Kisapmata: A 1981 Filipino psychological drama film directed by Mike de Leon and written by Ricky Lee. Lee helped shape this acclaimed film’s claustrophobic portrait of domestic violence.
Screenwriting: The craft of writing scripts for films and television, including story, character, dialogue, and visual action. Lee’s career and teaching are grounded in this craft.
Marilou Diaz-Abaya: A Filipino film director whose work often addressed social issues and women’s experiences. Her repeated collaborations with Lee produced major films such as Moral and Jose Rizal.
Martial law under Ferdinand Marcos: The authoritarian rule imposed in the Philippines by Ferdinand Marcos from 1972 to 1981. Censorship and political repression formed the context for Lee’s early film and journalistic work.
Cultural Center of the Philippines: A Philippine government institution that supports and promotes the arts and culture. Lee received national cultural recognition through institutions that honor Filipino artistic work.