Lamberto Vera Avellana (February 12, 1915 – April 25, 1991) was a prominent Filipino film and

stage director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...

. Despite considerable budgetary limitations that hampered the post-war Filipino film industry, Avellana's films such as ''

Anak Dalita ''Child of Sorrow'' ( tl, Anak Dalita; subtitled ''The Ruins'') is a 1956 Philippine crime drama-tragedy film written by Rolf Bayer and directed by Lamberto V. Avellana. Set in the slums of Manila, recovering from the aftermath of the Second W ...

'' and '' Badjao'' attained international acclaim. In 1976, Avellana was named by President

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...

as the first

National Artist of the Philippines The Order of National Artists of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining ng Pilipinas'') is an order bestowed by the Philippines on Filipinos who have made significant contributions to the development of Philipp ...

for

Film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

. While Avellana remains an important figure in Filipino

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ...

, his reputation as a film director has since been eclipsed by the next wave of Filipino film directors who emerged in the 1970s, such as

Lino Brocka Catalino Ortiz Brocka (April 3, 1939 – May 22, 1991) was a Filipino film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and significant filmmakers in the history of Philippine cinema. He co-founded the organization Concerned Ar ...

and

Ishmael Bernal Ishmael Bernal (30 September 1938 – 2 June 1996) was a Filipino filmmaker, stage and television director, actor and screenwriter. Noted for his melodramas, particularly with feminist and moral issues, he directed many landmark Filipino films s ...

Life

Born in

Bontoc Bontoc may refer to: * Bontoc, Mountain Province, Philippines * Bontoc, Southern Leyte, Philippines * Bontoc people, an ethnic group from Central Luzon, Philippines * Bontoc language Bontoc (Bontok) (also called Finallig) is the native language ...

Mountain Province Mountain Province is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Bontoc. Mountain Province was formerly referred to as ''Mountain'' in some foreign references. The name is usually short ...

, Avellana was educated at the Ateneo de Manila AB '37, where he developed what turned out to be a lifelong interest in the theater. He taught at the Ateneo after graduation and married his teenage sweetheart Daisy Hontiveros, an actress who eventually also became a

National Artist National Artist is an honorary title issued by some states as a highest recognition of artists for their significant contributions to the cultural heritage of the nation. An equivalent title, People's Artist, has been known in countries of the f ...

in 1999.

Film career

Avellana made his film debut with ''Sakay'' in 1939, a

biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudr ...

on the early 20th-century Filipino revolutionary

Macario Sakay Macario Sakay y de León (March 1, 1878 – September 13, 1907) was a Filipino general who took part in the 1896 Philippine Revolution against the Spanish Empire and in the Philippine–American War. After the war was declared over by the Un ...

. The film, though a box-office flop, was particularly distinguished for its realism which was atypical of Filipino cinema at the time. The treatment is the subject of some controversy today. Avellana's ''Sakay'' toed the line with the American-fostered perception of Sakay as a mere

bandit Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, and murder, either as an ...

, different from the current-day appreciation of Sakay as a fighter for Filipino independence. Raymond Red's 1993 film, ''Sakay'' hews closer to this modern view of Sakay.

Leopoldo Salcedo Leopoldo Salcedo (March 12, 1912 – June 11, 1998) was a Filipino film actor dubbed as "The Great Profile" who specialized in portraying dramatic heroes. Early life Salcedo was born in Cavite. His father was of Spanish descent whose family i ...

, who played Sakay in the 1939 Avellana version, portrayed Sakay's father in the 1993 version in his final film role. Avellana directed more than 70 films in a career that spanned six decades. ''

'' (1956) and ''Badjao'' (1957) perhaps stand as the most prominent works from his oeuvre. ''Anak Dalita'', which was named Best Film at the 1956 Asia-Pacific Film Festival, was a realistic portrayal of poverty-stricken Filipinos coping with the aftermath of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. ''Badjao'' was a love-story set in

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...

between a man from a sea-dwelling indigenous Badjao family and a woman belonging to a prominent Tausug clan. Rolf Bayer was the screenwriter for both films. On December 30, 1990, Avellana directed the first live reenactment of

José Rizal José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (, ; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is considered the national h ...

's execution to be held on

Rizal Day Rizal Day (, ; ) is a Philippine national holiday commemorating life and works of José Rizal, a national hero of the Philippines. It is celebrated every December 30, the anniversary of Rizal's 1896 execution at Bagumbayan (present-day Riza ...

Rizal Park Rizal Park ( fil, Liwasang Rizal, es, link=no, Parque Rizal), also known as Luneta Park or simply Luneta, is a historic urban park located in Ermita, Manila. It is considered one of the largest urban parks in the Philippines, covering an are ...

Filmography

*''Sakay'' (1939) *''Inday'' (1940) *''Rosalinda'' (1941) *''Ikaw Pala'' (1941) *''Death March'' (1946) *''Hacendera'' (1947) *''Tandang Sora'' (1947) *''Sa Ngiti Mo Lamang'' (1947) *''Hagibis'' (1947) *''Pista ng Bayan'' (1948) *''A La Viva!'' (1948) *''Ronquillo: Tiagong Akyat'' (1949) *''Hantik'' (1950) *''Ang Bombero (Kaaway ng Apoy)'' (1950) *''Prinsipe Amante'' (1950) *''In Despair (1950) *''Satur'' (1951) *''Prinsipe Amante sa Rubitanya'' (1951) *''Pag-asa'' (1951) *''Amor Mio'' (1951) *''

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...

'' (1952) *''Aklat ng Buhay'' (1952) *''Haring Solomon at Reyna Sheba'' (1952) *''Loida: Ang Aking Pag-ibig'' (1953) *''Huk sa Bagong Pamumuhay'' (1953) *''Hiyasmin'' (1953) *''Kandelerong Pilak'' (1954) *''Lapu-Lapu'' (1955) *''Saydwok Bendor'' (1955) *''No Money, No Honey'' (1956) *''

'' (1956) *''Medalyong Perlas'' ("Eskirol" segment, 1956) *''Kumander 13'' (1956) *''Walang Sugat'' (1957) *''Badjao'' (1957) *'' Sergeant Hassan'' (1957) *''Rosalina'' (1957) *''Faithful'' (1958) *''Kundiman ng Lahi'' (1959) *''Cry Freedom'' (1959) *''Bus to Bataan'' (1961) *''Death Was a Stranger'' (1963) *''No Way Out'' (1963) *''Scout Rangers'' (1964) *''

A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino The ''A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino'', known also as "A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino: An Elegy in Three Scenes"Fe, Esperanza, Caridad ''Fe, Esperanza, Caridad'' () is a 1974 Filipino film, produced by Premiere Productions. It is a trilogy featuring Nora Aunor giving life to the stories of three women: Fe—an emerging movie superstar who has an invalid husband—, Esp ...

'' (with

Cirio H. Santiago Cirio Hermoso Santiago (January 18, 1936 – September 26, 2008) was a prolific Filipino film producer, director and writer. He used the screen names Cirio Santiago, Cirio H. Santiago and Leonard Hermes. Life and career Santiago was born on Janu ...

and

Gerardo de León Gerardo de León, National Artist of the Philippines, ONA (September 12, 1913 – July 25, 1981), was a Philippines, Filipino film director and actor. Biography De León, who was born Gerardo Ilagan, was a member of the Ilagan clan of Philippine ...

, 1974) *''Kapitan Kulas: Ang Kilabot ng Sierra Madre'' (1975) *''Ang Pag-ibig Ko'y Huwag Mong Sukatin'' (1975) *''Waywaya'' (1982)

Personal life

Lamberto died on April 25, 1991 in Manila, Philippines at the age of 76.

References

Additional sources

*''Filipinos in History: Volume III'',

National Historical Institute The National Historical Commission of the Philippines ( fil, Pambansang Komisyong Pangkasaysayan ng Pilipinas, abbreviated NHCP) is a government agency of the Philippines. Its mission is "the promotion of Philippine history and cultural heritag ...

(Manila, 1996)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Avellana, Lamberto V. 1915 births 1991 deaths Ateneo de Manila University alumni Ateneo de Manila University faculty Filipino film directors National Artists of the Philippines People from Mountain Province