Cover Director Lester Pimentel Ong discusses his path from stuntman to filmmaker, creating globally recognised Filipino action series and films
Director Lester Pimentel Ong discusses his path from stuntman to filmmaker, creating globally recognised Filipino action series and films
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Filipino filmmaker and director Lester Pimentel Ong shares his journey from martial arts to directing hit action series like ‘One Good Day’ and ‘Incognito’
Lester Pimentel Ong’s path to filmmaking was anything but conventional. A decorated wushu athlete and a former member of the national team, he spent his early life in training halls and competition arenas, not film schools. His mastery of Chinese martial arts, however, would become the unlikely gateway into cinema. He started as a stuntman and from there, he moved through the ranks: choreographer, action director, second-unit director—until, after two decades behind the fight sequences that defined an era of Filipino television, he finally took his place in the director’s chair.
His breakthrough arrived with One Good Day, an Amazon Prime Video original that starred Ian Veneracion. For Ong, it was not merely another action series but the culmination of years refining a system for staging fights on screen. The series also marked a turning point for the visibility of Filipino directors in a media landscape increasingly dominated by Korean and Hollywood content. From One Good Day flowed other milestones: ABS-CBN’s The Iron Heart and the action-thriller Incognito, projects that cemented Ong’s reputation for marrying cinematic scale with distinctly Filipino storytelling.
Now more than 25 years into his career, Ong continues to define himself. Drawing inspiration from Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola as much as from Zhang Yimou and Jackie Chan, he describes his approach as a fusion of Western narrative craft and Asian flair. Collaborative by nature, he likens directing to conducting an orchestra, bringing together actors, writers, cinematographers and editors to create a seamless whole. Yet behind the artistry lies a pragmatism sharpened by competition and constraints: working against limited budgets, Ong has learned to “value-engineer” productions so that every shot carries weight. It is this balance of creativity and discipline, spectacle and restraint, that has shaped his journey—and which continues to guide his ambitions for Filipino cinema on the global stage.
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Above Director Lester Pimentel Ong went from wushu champion to acclaimed Filipino film director
Director Lester Pimentel Ong went from wushu champion to acclaimed Filipino film director
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How did your journey into filmmaking begin? Was directing always something you envisioned for yourself?
Actually, I came a long way, and directing was not something I originally envisioned. It has been a long journey to get here. To give you a quick summary, I was a martial artist in the sport of wushu—Chinese martial arts. I was a member of the national team.
By being a national athlete, I met a lot of people from the film industry from different countries. After retiring from martial arts, many of them went into the film industry: some became actors, stunt performers or action directors. That opened the opportunity for me to enter the industry.
I started out by moonlighting as a stuntman in different films, mostly foreign productions being shot in the Philippines, because of my skill set as a martial artist. This was around 1998, 1999, 2000. Back then, my skills in wushu were not really needed in the local film industry, which used a different style of action. My skills were instead seen in Japanese, Hong Kong or Singaporean films, which required more martial arts-based action.
Later on, I became an action choreographer. I would choreograph fight scenes for local TV series and films, teach the actors and work with the director. Eventually, I became an action director or second-unit director for projects I was involved in. After almost 20 years of working as an action director, I finally became a director. I’ve now been in the industry for more than 25 years.
What project would you consider your breakthrough as a director? What made it a defining moment in your career?
I directed and produced an Amazon Prime series called One Good Day. It’s available on Amazon Prime Video. That was my breakthrough as a director because it was the project where I perfected how to create an action series. We were able to design a system of work that elevated the quality of the action.
One Good Day starred Ian Veneracion, and I worked with my action team. That same team later created Iron Heart for ABS-CBN and also Incognito. For me, One Good Day was really the turning point because we were able to show that Filipino action series could reach international quality.
Related: Ian Veneracion talks about One Good Day, his action series on Amazon Prime Video
Above Director Lester Pimentel Ong likens filmmaking to conducting an orchestra
Director Lester Pimentel Ong likens filmmaking to conducting an orchestra
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What have been some of the biggest creative or logistical challenges you’ve faced, especially in elevating the action genre in the Philippines?
The biggest challenge right now is competition. On streaming platforms, everything is just one click away. If viewers get bored, they switch immediately. Before, Filipino audiences watched prime-time series, and there were only two choices: ABS-CBN or GMA. Now, there’s Netflix, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok and so many other platforms competing for attention.
We have to compete with Hollywood and Korean shows, and also with social media platforms that are addictive and entertaining.
Another big challenge is the very limited budget. We’re competing against productions with far bigger budgets, so we have to be excellent at resource management. We call it ‘value engineering’ in production—making the most out of every hour of shooting. It’s a huge challenge but also something that pushes us to be more creative.”
Who or what has had the greatest influence on your vision and voice as a director?
I’m a very big fan of Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola among Western directors. I’m also a big fan of Zhang Yimou, the Chinese director, and I’ve always been inspired by Jackie Chan.
I try to marry the Western way of storytelling with the flair of Asian filmmakers, and that’s something I apply to my work.
How would you describe yourself as a director?
As a director, I’m very collaborative. I make the most out of the talents of the actors, writers and creative people around me, and also of the technical crew: cinematographers, camera operators, editors.
What I do is conduct the big orchestra so that together we can play beautiful music.
How do you stay focused and continue to grow your craft as a filmmaker?
Creatively, I always watch other people’s work—Chinese films, Hollywood films, all kinds of cinema. I’m also very active on social media, especially TikTok. It’s important to always be in touch with trends. You don’t need to follow them, but you do need to know them.
As a hobby, I do photography and videography. It’s both a form of expression and a way to practise my skills, especially with modern equipment like vlogging gear and traditional cameras. Practice is always needed, even when we’re not on set.
What has surprised you most about the public-facing side of the industry, especially now that directors are more visible?
I actually feel uncomfortable facing the public because I didn’t sign up for that. But I’m glad our work is now being appreciated. Before, when a film or series was successful, the credit went to the stars. Now, one way or another, directors also get recognised if a project is good—though you also get bashed if it isn’t.
Are there any dream projects, genres, or collaborators you’d like to work with?
I dream of someday working on international projects. My hope for the Philippine film industry is that foreign productions will come in not just to use our locations but to collaborate with Filipino directors and producers, to finance or distribute our projects overseas.
In terms of genres, I want to do a family drama. If you watch Incognito, you’ll already see elements of family drama there, but I want to challenge myself to do a full-time family drama because I’m a big fan of those films.
I’d also like to do a love story someday. That would be another challenge for me.
Above Director Lester Pimentel Ong shares that Scorsese, Zhang Yimou and Jackie Chan are a few of his inspirations and influences
Director Lester Pimentel Ong shares that Scorsese, Zhang Yimou and Jackie Chan are a few of his inspirations and influences
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What advice would you give aspiring filmmakers hoping to make their mark in the industry?
To young filmmakers: keep on shooting. Your generation has so many opportunities—you can shoot with your phone, a GoPro or an Insta360. Filmmaking is democratised now.
You can also learn so much from TikTok or YouTube, techniques that weren’t available to us back then. My advice is to just create first, don’t think too much about money. As you improve your craft, money will follow. And always know your identity as a filmmaker.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I still want to be doing what I’m doing now. I just hope we improve further, get better and move closer to our goal of being at par with international filmmakers. Right now, we’re still quite far from where we want to be, but I hope that five years from now we’ll get there.
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Angela Nicole Regis Guiral is a digital editor at Tatler Philippines. She studied journalism and has since written features that look closely at how culture, lifestyle and social impact converge, while occasionally wandering into the worlds of style and travel.
