“Laughing Star” (Der Lachende Stern), also known as Smiling Star is a documentary by German filmmaker Werner Schroeter. Schroeter is one of the auteurs of the New German Cinema during the 1970’s and 1980’s and his films have been classified at the intersections of avant-garde, high camp, opera and documentary. “Laughing Star” fuses interviews, news broadcasts, archival footage and dramatizations in order to weave a highly unique travel diary on Philippine history and culture amidst the 1983 Manila International Film Festival.