The film was primarily shot in Calapan , Oriental Mindoro , the Philippines which is the hometown of lead actress , Charo Santos-Concio . According to Diaz , the film was inspired by the short story " God Sees the Truth , But Waits " by Leo Tolstoy . Diaz , reflecting on the story and how it relates to his work , said that life is not truly understood by anyone and that more often people " abide and succumb to life 's randomness . " Charo Santos-Concio , the lead actress described the film as " a story of forgiveness , of transcendence . " While the film was not made for a particular film festival , director Diaz is open to the idea of screening '' The Woman Who Left '' in film festivals . In June 2016 , it was reported that talks were ongoing for the film to be screened locally in the Philippines and overseas . There were also talks for the film to be screened at the 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival
2016 Metro Manila Film Festival
2016 Metro Manila Film Festival
The Woman Who Left