Lino Brocka was a radical filmmaker whose socially conscious films explored the plight

of the marginalized and ignored sectors of Filipino society. Maria Soriano explores his
trailblazing life and career, and looks at his films, which are unfortunately unattainable
outside of The Philippines.

Catalino Ortiz Brocka, more famously known as Lino Brocka, was one of the Philippines
greatest auteurs. He was born in Pilar, Sorsogon in 1939. His father Regino, who was a
huge influence on Brocka, teaching him Maths and English as well as the Arts, was
killed in a political murder when Brocka was still young. Brocka, along with his mother
and brother, had to flee to live with his mothers sister. But a good life was far from
reach as he and his family suffered physical and verbal abuse from his relatives and
were forced to do hard labour, an experience he would carry with him throughout his
career as a director.

Brocka developed a strong interest in films during his youth, particularly American films,
and despite his poor upbringing he managed to flourish academically and won a college
scholarship in the countrys leading academic institute, the University of The Philippines.
Initially majoring in pre-law, he dropped the course to study literature instead. While
studying at the University, he joined the Dramatic Club but was criticized for his
provincial accent and demeanour, a treatment that disgusted him. Brocka took it upon
himself to watch his beloved American movies to practice his English further and
improve his accent, a move that eventually gained him acceptance in the club, but only
as a stage hand. After dropping out of college, he converted to Mormonism and devoted
himself to missionary work, travelling to a leper colony in Hawaii. He then travelled to
America and worked menial jobs in San Francisco for a brief period of time before
turning down a chance for American citizenship, opting instead to return to the
Philippines to revive his interest in filmmaking.

He joined the Philippine Educational Theatre Association where he met its founder
Cecille Guidote, which led to the making of his first film, 1970s Wanted: Perfect Mother,
a box-office hit based on The Sound of Music, the only film he has made that was not
heavy on social injustice and drama. From then on, Brockas films became more
personal, his filmography depicting the plights and suffering of the Filipino people. Some
of his best works are Insiang (1978), a revenge tale of a girls rape by her mothers
lover, which became the first entry by a Filipino filmmaker at the Cannes Festival,
earning him the prestigious Palm dOr. Manila: In The Claws of
Darkness (1976), Jaguar (1980), and Bayan Ko (My Country, 1984) were also
nominated for the award, further cementing his reputation as one of the greatest
directors to come out of South East Asia.

Brockas films are very character driven, magnifying the oppression and neglect of the
common citizen, the poor everyman barely scrapping by while fighting off abuse from
the system. He often cast unknown actors to focus more on the story and not on the
celebrity. Actors such as Bembol Roco, Hilda Koronel and Laurice Guillen are amongst
the unknown actors that worked with him repeatedly for years, eventually becoming
stars in their own right. Alongside his socially conscious films Brocka also discussed
themes of sexuality, which filmmakers during his time tended to avoid. Despite his
Mormon faith, Brocka was openly gay and homosexual themes were often a big part of
the narratives of his films, as was showing sexually confident and strong-spirited
women. Brockas films highlight the marginalised and ignored sectors of society- the
slum dwellers, prostitutes, street hustlers, as well as those who were discriminated
against simply because of gender or sexuality subjects that no other director dared to
touch, especially while under the Marcos dictatorship.

Manila: In The Claws of Darkness explores the prostitution of provincial girls and their
hand-to-mouth existence in the city, while Jaguar, which many see as a companion
piece to Manila: In The Claws of Darkness, is about a kind hearted country boy named
Poldo who works in the city as a security guard and is drawn into the seedy underbelly
of city life. Brocka manifests himself and his upbringing in his films by using nave
country folk, just as he once was, trying their luck in the city and finding out the hard
way that the promise of a good life is nothing but an illusion. The gritty violence and
voracious lack of morals in his films can be overwhelming, but it elicits a certain moral
response from the audience that makes them very aware of the depressing state of
affairs in society.

Under the Marcos regime, strict censorship was enforced in the media and Brocka was
forced to smuggle his films out of the country for screenings to avoid heavy cuts. In
1984, he flew to Cannes to support another nomination for Bayan Ko (My Country). In
his fight for freedom of speech, he declared that the Marcos dictatorship had taken
control of the Philippine media for its enforcement of censorship, which resulted in his
arrest and imprisonment along with other journalists and filmmakers upon his return to
the Philippines.

He was released from jail after the fall of Marcos and was invited by Corazon Aquino,
Marcos successor, to be part of a committee to draft the 1986 constitution but left soon
after as he felt that many of the policies worked against the Filipino people. He
protested against the new government by making radical films such as Ora Pro
Nobis (1989) and Gumapang Ka Sa Lusak (1990), with Ora earning him yet another
Palm dOr nomination.

Lino Brocka died in a car accident on May 21, 1991. His untimely death did not stop his
long and hard fight for social justice as he was posthumously awarded the National
Artist Award and is considered, to this day, the greatest social realist, and the greatest
director, the Philippines has produced.
 Date of Birth 20 August 1939, Manila, Philippines

Date of Death 14 December 2004, Manila, Philippines (cerebral thrombosis)

Birth Name Ronald Allan Kelley Poe

Nicknames Da King
Ronnie
FPJ

Height 5' 10" (1.78 m)

Mini Bio (1)

The young Poe, only 16 years old, had dropped out of second year high (the farthest he got
in school) to work as messenger for a film exchange at php18 a week,. Some friends of his
at Everlasting Studio thought of him during a scene where a knife had to hit on a tree.
Knives are usually wired for such scenes; but Ronnie was called in when the director heard
he could hit the target with an unwired knife. He did - and got treated to a beer blowout by
the crew. Markmanship and horsemanship were really got him into the movies. Those
childhood summers in Baguio when he rode the ponies on Burnham Park, all the riding
lessons he ever had, stood him in good stead when he turned movie "double." It started
when lead star Lilia Dizon, who was doing Simaron (1956) with co-star Johnny Moreiro,
sprained an ankle and couldn't do a riding scene, Asked to do it for her, Ronnie put on a
shirt, tied on a bandana, made like a girl on a horse, and exhibited such riding skill. He
became a regular stuntman st Everlasting, where he doubled in riding and other action
sense.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: BGP

Spouse (1)

Susan Roces (December 1968 - 14 December 2004) (his death) (1 child)

Trade Mark (3)

Side-burns
Gun-shooting prowess
Rapid fast punches and jabs

Trivia (27)
Is best friends with former Philippine President Joseph Estrada.
Ran but lost in the 2004 presidential election in the Philippines. He and his running mate,
former senator Loren Legarda, filed protests to the Presidential Electoral Tribunal,
suspecting that cheating was done. Legarda vowed to continue the protest despite Poe's
death.
Died a little over after 7 months after losing the 2004 Presidential elections to President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Most of his beloved fans blamed his death on the government.
Up until his death, no actor was able to dethrone him as King of Philippine Movies.
Adopted Mary Grace, Susan Roces' niece.
A son of Filipino actor Fernando Poe and American mother Elizabeth Kelley, he was the
second child and eldest brother of the six siblings.
The real Fernando Poe Jr. was actually his younger brother, the late actor Andy Poe. He
adopted the name when he entered acting after he was forced to quit school and work since
his father died.
Of Catalonian, Filipino and Irish-American extraction.
His parents married a year after he was born.
His question of his citizenship was the most serious issue that he faced during the 2004
elections where he ran for the presidency of the Philippines. His opponents sought for his
disqualification claiming he's an American citizen since he was an illegitimate son of a non-
Filipino mother. His mother, an American, and his Catalonian-Filipino father married in
1940, a year he was born.
The original family surname was spelled Pou from his grandfather, playwright Lorenzo Pou,
a Catalan migrant from Majorca, Spain, who ventured into mining and business in the
Philippines.
Brother of Elizabeth Poe, 'Andy Poe' Genevieve "Jenny Poe, Freddie Poe, and Evangeline
Poe. Half-brother of Conrad Poe.
He used the name Ronwaldo Reyes for the first time in the movie Mga anghel na walang
langit (1970) as writer. Except from close associates in the production, no one knew who
Ronwaldo Reyes was until the FAMAS awarding when Reyes was declared the winner for
best story. Fernando appeared and revealed himself as the man behind the man. Since
then, he had been using the name in his writing and directorial credit.
In 2004, during the presidential campaign, he admitted to having sired a child out of
wedlock. Ronian, or Ron Allan, was Poe's son by actress Anna Marin. It was revealed that he
also sired a daughter Lovi Poe through model Rowena Moran.
At the Cinema One Originals Film Festival 2009, he received the Cinema One Legend Award.
An old time standard in the Philippine movie productions, crew members have to fend for
their own food. FPJ broke this tradition and implemented an equal opportunity system
among the cast and crew. Caterers are now serving food to everyone in the set.
Fernando Poe, Jr. played hero not only in the films but also in real life. Together with bosom
friend Joseph Estrada, they broke the stranglehold of the Big Four. The Big Four, composed
of gangsters from rich families, were victimizing movie stars through extortion.
His first venture as producer with the FPJ Productions was Ang Mananandata, a cowboy film.
It was Mario Barri who gave Ronnie a break to take lead in Anak Ni Palaris, the last in the
Palaris series which originally starred FPJ's father, Fernando Poe. It was not a hit compared
to his father's two films.
He dropped from his high school classes at the University of the East to look for job when he
father died. He appeared as extra in the movies to earn a living. In the movie 'Simaron
(1955)', he played a stuntman to double for Lilia Dizon when she sprained her ankle and
couldn't do a riding scene.
When his father died, he became the family breadwinner. The family moved for a mansion
to a rented house.
Brother-in-law of Lou Salvador Jr., wife of his younger sister Genevieve. Lou is the second
Salvador married to Poe's family; the other is Mina Aragon.
Brother-in-law of Mina Aragon, wife of Andy Poe.
Worked with his brother Andy Poe, the Fernando Poe Jr. in real life, in seven movies. Andy
played support to Fernando in Dos por dos (1968), Isa para sa lahat, lahat para sa
isa (1979), Matimbang ang dugo sa tubig (1967) and Alamat ng 7 kilabot (1967). FPJ
directed Andy in El Nio (1968), and produced his younger brother in Dimasupil
Brothers(1971). Fernando also made cameo in Andy's starring vehicle, Gising na... ang
higanteng natutulog (1995).
Brother-in-law of Bob Soler, his elder sister Elizabeth's husband.
Running for the presidency of the Philippines. [January 2004]
Still contesting the presidency of the Philippines. He and her running mate Loren
Legardafiled a petition before the Supreme Court to declare as null and void the
proclamation of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Vice-President Noli de
Castro, citing massive fraud. [August 2004]
 APR13
FPJ LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

The Film Academy of the Philippines lifetime achievement award will henchforth be named
the Fernando Poe Jr. lifetime achievement award. And its first awardee is producer and film
industry leader Mrs. Marichu P. Maceda.
The FAP board of governors, in a meeting last March 30, voted unanimously to rename the
award in honor and as a tribute to the late King of Philippine Movies Fernando Poe Jr., who
himself was a recipient of two special awards from the FAP, namely the lifetime
achievement award in 1990 and the rarely given Golden Reel Award in 2002.
Inasmuch as this will be the first time the Fernando Poe Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award will
be presented, the FAP will not be giving out other special awards this year. The other FAP
special awards include the Lamberto Avellana Memorial award, the Posthumous Recognition
award, the Posthumous Special Recognition, the Special Recognition award and the Golden
Reel award.
Through the years, the lifetime achievement awardees included the following: Director
Gerardo de Leon (1983); Director Manuel Silos, Writer-Director Luis Nolasco, Special Effects
Man Totoy Torrente, Director Richard Abelardo and Writer-Director Consuelo Ateng Osorio
(1985);
Sound and Color Technician William Smith, Actress Mary Walter and Composer Juan Silos Jr.
(1986); Cinematographer Felipe J. Sacdalan, Editor Enrique Jarlego Sr., Actor Pancho
Magalona and Actress Tita Duran ((1987); Actor Leopoldo Salcedo, Comedienne Chichay,
Lyricist Levi Celerio and Actress Bella Flores (1988);
Actor-Produce-Mowelfund-Founder Joseph Estrada and former Senator and Actor Rogelio
dela Rosa (1989); Actor-Writer-Producer-Director Fernando Poe Jr. and Producer and
Founder of the FAP Manuel de Leon (1990); Actor-Producer Rodolfo V. Quizon, more
popularly known as Dolphy, and Writer-Producer J. Eddie Infante (1991);
Producer Atty. Esperidion Laxa and Actress Nora Aunor (1992); Actor-Director Victoriano
Ramos Villanueva (1993); Musical Director Josefino Cenizal, Director Pablo Santiago and
Cinematographer Luis Chiong (1994); Actress Anita Linda (1995); Actress Vilma Santos
(1996);
Actor-Director Eddie Garcia (1998); Director-Producer Eddie Romero, Actor-Director Eddie
Rodriguez and Musical Director Tito Arevalo (1999); Actress Gloria Romero (2000); Actress
Susan Roces (2001); and Writer-Director Augusto Buenaventura (2003).
Those who have received the Lamberto Avellana Memorial Award included Director Lino
Brocka (1990), Writer-Director Eddie Romero (1993), Director Nicolas Deocampo (1994),
Actress Rosa Rosal (1996) and Film Historian Ben Pinga (1998).
Special Recognition Awards were given in 1989 to Actresses Rita Gomez and Carmen
Rosales, Comedy Team Pugo and Tugo, and Actor-Comedian German Moreno (1989).
Showbiz clans were honored in 1990, includinmg the Ilagans, the Salvadors and the
Padillas. Individual awardees were Dr. Uwe Schmelter, Actor Robin Padilla and Actress
Sharon Cuneta. The other annual awardees were Director Eric O. de Guia, better known as
Kidlat Tahimik, (1993) and Artist Carlos Botong Francisco (1994).
The Academy also handed out posthumous awards. These were special recognition awards
to Fernando Poe Sr. and Director Armando Garces; and recognition awards to
Cinematographer Mike Accion (1991), Director Lamberto Avellana (1990) and Actress
Charito Solis (1998).
The rarely presented Golden Reel Awards had so far been given to former President Cory
Aquino, Actor-Writer-Producer Fernando Poe Jr. and Writer-Director Eddie Romero.