Ma-an Asuncion-Dagñalan
Biography
Ma-an L. Asuncion Dagñalan is an award-winning filmmaker recognized for her acclaimed feature Blue Room, which won Best Foreign Film at the 2023 LA Femme International Film Festival. She took home Best Director honors at both the 2022 Cinemalaya Film Festival and the 2023 FAMAS Awards. Trained under National Artist for Film Ricky Lee, Dagñalan currently serves as the Board Secretary of the Directors Guild of the Philippines (DGPI) and is a core member of the Filipino Screenwriters Guild (FSG).
Known For & Full Filmography4 Titles
Movie - 2025, 2h 15m • as Law Professor
Set ten years after the events of the first film, the story explores the impact of time on institutions, relationships, and individuals, delivering a poignant yet inspiring tale about the invisible costs of pursuing one's dreams.
Movie - 2025, 2h 15m • as Asawa ni Restituto
Beloved by revolutionaries Andres Bonifacio and Julio Nakpil, Lakambini Gregoria de Jesus' quest for justice mirrors the film's journey to reclaim the legacy of a forgotten heroine.
Movie - 2006, 2h 15m • as Bridal Shower Friend (segment "It Takes Two to Tango") (as Maan Asuncion)
Pandanggo has three stories with parallel themes converging in one event, the Kasilonawan Festival in Obando: a career woman learning to dance tango who is torn between her dance partner and live-in partner has to choose the man who will satisfy her dream of raising a family; a wife whose wish to conceive a baby boy to make her husband happy brings her feet to the festival, but fate has other plans of bringing the child into her life; and a modern woman who, amidst her medical condition that might render her childless for the rest of her life, finds connection with an ancient lore about fertility.
Movie - 2008, 2h 15m • Main Cast Role
A slice-of-life workplace comedy following the lives of technical support call center agents in the span of six months. Speaking with a fake American accent is a prerequisite for the job. This ensemble comedy is an inside look into the maddening, sleep-deprived, caffeine-fuelled lives of those who ply their trade in the call center industry.