Dan Villegas is an award-winning director, cinematographer and producer based in Manila, the Philippines. He began his career as a director of photography, winning the Balanghai Trophy for Best Cinematography three times – in 2008, 2010 and 2024. He made his directorial debut with the coming-of-age film Mayohan (Maytime) in 2010, which won multiple awards at the 2010 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival, including Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay, Best Music, and Best Actress.
Dan directed the sleeper hit English Only, Please, which earned him Best Director at the 2014 Metro Manila Film Festival. He went on to helm several box-office successes for major Philippine studios, including The Break-Up Playlist, How to Be Yours, and Always Be My Maybe. His 2018 film Exes Baggage grossed over USD7 million worldwide. Dan also directed episodes for both seasons of Almost Paradise for Electric Entertainment and worked on the Amazon Prime hit Cattleya Killer. He directed the hit series Replacing Chef Chico, Netflix’s first Filipino original series.
In 2017, Dan co-founded boutique production company Project 8 Projects with fellow filmmaker Antoinette Jadaone. Under this banner, he has produced numerous blockbuster and award-winning films. Notable titles include The Missing, which was the Philippines’ official entry to the 2024 Oscars; Sunshine, winner of the Crystal Bear at the 2025 Berlin International Film Festival; and Diamonds in the Sand, which won the White Mulberry Award at the 2025 Far East Film Festival. He also produced the 2014 indie hit That Thing Called Tadhana, made on a modest USD45,000 budget and grossing over USD2.6 million.
Dan holds a master’s degree in entrepreneurship from the Ateneo de Manila University where he teaches feature film directing and cinematography.
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy expresses its respect for and acknowledgement of the South East Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of country, including the custodial communities on whose land works are created and celebrated by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. We acknowledge the continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We also pay our respects to Elders, past and present. We recognise the integral role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and First Nations peoples continue to play in storytelling and celebration spaces.
