''Roberta'' is a 1951 Filipino drama film based on the ''Tagalog Klasiks'' character of the same name by

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. Directed by Olive La Torre, it stars child actress Tessie Agana as the titular character, alongside Van de Leon, Bella Flores, Maria Cristina,

Rosa Mia Rosita Quinto Stecza (1925 – November 28, 2006), known by her screen name Rosa Mia, was a Filipino actress and film director. She died on November 28, 2006, at the age of 81 due to cardiac arrest. (December 1, 2006)"Actress Rosa Mia dead at 81" ...

, José de Villa, Aruray, Boy Alano and Tony Cayado. Produced by

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on a low budget after a fire destroyed the studio's film library, it was released in 1951, and was an unprecedented box office success. It won two

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, for Best Supporting Actress (Mia) and Best Cinematography (Higino Fallorina), and has since been credited with propelling the studio's revival in the early 1950s. It is touted as the first-ever blockbuster film of the Philippines.

Cast

* Tessie Agana as Roberta * Van de Leon as Roberta's father * Bella Flores as a bar girl * Maria Cristina *

* José de Villa * Aruray * Boy Alano * Tony Cayado *Candida Valderrama *Pablo Raymundo *Ric Flores *Pablo Naval *Helen Miraflor *Batotoy *Anchita Cajes Reyes as Mean Restaurant Lady

Release

Released in theaters in 1951, ''Roberta'' achieved unprecedented box office success, becoming the highest-grossing Philippine film of all time and holding the record for nearly ten years. It has been credited with reviving

which at the time was attempting to recover from low finances after a fire destroyed thousands of film reels stored in its library. A remake was planned in 1990, with

Ice Seguerra Ice Seguerra (born Cariza Yamson Seguerra; 17 September 1983), formerly Aiza Seguerra, is a Filipino actor, singer-songwriter, director and guitarist. Initially coming out as a lesbian in 2007, Seguerra also came out as a transgender man i ...

as Roberta and Bibeth Orteza as screenwriter, though it did not come to fruition.

Accolades

and Higino J. Fallorina won the

for Best Supporting Actress and Best Cinematography respectively.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title} 1951 films 1951 drama films Tagalog-language films Films based on Philippine comics Philippine drama films Philippine films based on comics