Jose Lorenzo “Pepe” Diokno a film director, producer, and screenwriter.

After making short films and acting in stage plays in high school, he pursued a degree in film at the University of the Philippines - College of Mass Communication.

At the age of 22, Pepe made his first feature film, Engkwentro (2009). It premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where it received the Lion of the Future - Luigi de Laurentiis Award and the Orizzonti Prize. Pepe followed this up with two more feature films, the drama Above the Clouds (2013) and the experimental film Kapatiran (2014).

In 2016, Pepe joined advertising production company UxS, where he has worked on projects such as the Kwentong Jollibee series, Pabaon sa Buhay for P&G, and Kusinaserye for Nestlé. Pepe’s brand films have broken viral video records, and received recognition at the Asian Academy Creative Awards, Effie Awards, and New York Festivals International Advertising Awards.

In 2023, Pepe returned to filmmaking with the historical drama, GomBurZa. The film won seven awards at the Metro Manila Film Festival, including Best Director. The following year, he directed and produced the musical Isang Himala.

Pepe has attended Berlinale Talents, Torino Script Lab, and Produire Au Sud. He was also mentored by Philippine National Artist Ricky Lee. He is currently developing several films and series under his company, Kapitol Films.