Jason Tan Liwag (b. 1996) is a scientist, actor, writer, and film programmer from Dagupan City, Philippines. In 2020, he transitioned from musical theater into film criticism and writing through the mentorship of acclaimed film critic Richard Bolisay and National Artist Ricky Lee. Since then, he has become an alumnus of prestigious film criticism programs in Rotterdam, Udine, and Yamagata. Jason’s work explores sociocultural trends and material conditions that shape the production, accessibility, critical reception, and archiving of films, television, and theater. He is drawn to non-dominant narratives and emerging voices, particularly from Southeast Asia, and often examines the intersections of religion, queerness, desire, and grief. Through his writing, he hopes to create scaffolds of context that illuminate what shapes storytelling in the Philippines and other underrepresented communities worldwide. In his brief years of writing, his works have appeared in CNN Philippines Life, Rappler, YoungSTAR, Vogue Philippines, MUBI Notebook, Little White Lies, MARG1N Magazine, Projektor, Screen Slate, Senses of Cinema, Sentient Art Film, Ultradogme, and more. He is the country’s first member of FIPRESCI, a three-time international voter for the Golden Globe Awards, and a member of the Society of Filipino Film Reviewers and The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA). He has been a part of the jury and selection committee of film festivals in Manila, Bristol, Taipei, San Diego, Dhaka, and beyond. In 2023, he created and headed the first Critics Lab under the QCinema International Film Festival, while also co-programming the festival’s first Southeast Asian short film competition. He is currently the head of short film programming at QCinema and a guest curator for Queer East UK. He serves as part-time faculty at the department of biology of the Ateneo de Manila University and the CIIT College of Arts and Technology, where he teaches molecular biology and new media cultures, respectively. For his contributions to science and the arts, he was included in Attitude Magazine’s 101 LGBTQ Trailblazers Changing the World Today in 2020.