‘Eraserheads: Combo on the Run’ Director Maria Diane Ventura On Bringing The Band’s Legacy To New Audiences
The director speaks to Billboard Philippines on taking the legacy of the band to international audiences and being named Best International Director at the Long Island-based music documentary festival.
ELY BUENDIA, MARIA DIANE VENTURA: Photographed by Steve Leung
ELY BUENDIA, MARIA DIANE VENTURA: Photographed by Steve Leung
Eraserheads: Combo on the Run continues to make waves across international territories.
Combo on the Run was one of only two Asian film entries to this year’s Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) Music Documentary Film Festival, which ran from September 25 to 27, 2026, in Stony Brook Village.
Featuring films in the realm of K-pop, rock, jazz, Latin, opera, and others, there’s plenty of room for all kinds of music lovers and aficionados. This year, 43 short and feature-length documentary films, performances, and Q&A panel discussions were held across two theaters, with films from countries like Canada, France, Spain, Japan, and, of course, the Philippines.
Combo on the Run was among the films screened alongside Kenny Loggins: Conviction of the Heart, Sledgehammer Revealed, and Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It, among others.
Directed by Maria Diane Ventura, the acclaimed documentary explores the rise, breakup, and monumental reunion of iconic OPM rock band Eraserheads. Ventura also brought pride to the Philippines, taking home Best International Director at the festival.
“[The documentary] is an extraordinary piece of filmmaking — intimate, deeply personal, and powerful enough to bring the story of one of the Philippines’ most influential bands to audiences around the world,” the festival’s executive director Tom Needham shares. “It was a special honor to present Maria with our International Best Director Award, made even more memorable by having Ely Buendia, the Eraserheads’ lead vocalist and primary songwriter, here with us to celebrate the film and her remarkable achievement.”
Ventura speaks to Billboard Philippines about how the documentary has traveled across global territories to share the story of the band’s growth, artistry, and legacy.
“I think I’ve always just wanted the film to travel as far as it possibly can. The Eraserheads are such a huge part of our cultural history, but outside the Philippines, there are still so many people discovering them for the first time,” Ventura says. “So to be one of only two Asian films here, alongside documentaries about artists whose stories have travelled all over the world, is already quite meaningful.”
Ventura has always described the documentary as her love letter to Filipinos. More than honoring the band’s storied legacy, “it was also about honoring our people, the people who gave their music meaning and who ultimately inspired me to make the film. The Eraserheads’ story belongs to all of us too,” she adds.
From being screened at film festivals around the world, Ventura says the documentary feels like it is bringing a little piece of Philippine culture with it each and every time.
Truly, the film captured the legacy that Eraserheads has left behind and continues to leave through newer generations of Filipinos and beyond. “I hope they remember [Eraserheads] for the music and the band’s unique spirit,” OPM rock icon Ely Buendia notes.
“Their legacy is much bigger than the four people in the band, or even the music itself. Their songs have become part of people’s personal histories and of our collective history as Filipinos,” Ventura explains. “The fact that a distinctly Filipino story can be understood and felt by people from completely different backgrounds is exactly why I got into film in the first place: to bring people together through storytelling.”
Marking her debut in documentary filmmaking, Ventura came into the project with the goal of not making a conventional music documentary, plain and simple. “I wanted to understand the humans behind the mythology, the time and circumstances that created them, and why their music continues to mean so much to people more than three decades later,” she reveals.
Being named Best International Director at the festival was a humbling and validating experience that speaks volumes about the craft Ventura and the rest of the team poured into Combo on the Run.
“You spend so much of the process questioning your choices and hoping that what you’re trying to say will eventually translate. To be acknowledged here, alongside filmmakers telling stories about artists from all over the world, is so meaningful. And I’m incredibly grateful that a distinctly Filipino story continues to find its place in the world,” she adds.
Eraserheads: Combo on the Run is currently streaming on Netflix. Watch the trailer below:
Frequently Asked Questions
Maria Diane Ventura won Best International Director at the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) Music Documentary Film Festival, held September 25 to 27, 2026.
It is Maria Diane Ventura’s documentary on the rise, breakup, and reunion of OPM rock band Eraserheads. It is currently streaming on Netflix.
It was one of only two Asian film entries at the festival, which screened 43 short and feature-length documentaries, performances, and Q&A panels across two theaters.
Ventura wanted to understand the humans behind the mythology, the time and circumstances that shaped the band, and why their music still resonates over three decades later.
Ventura describes it as a love letter to Filipinos, honoring both the band’s legacy and the people who gave their music meaning and inspired her to make the film.
