Behn Cervantes

Behn Cervantes
Born Benjamin Roberto H. Cervantes
(1938-08-25)August 25, 1938
Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija, Commonwealth of the Philippines
Died August 13, 2013(2013-08-13) (aged 74)
Muntinlupa, Metro Manila, Philippines
Known for Activism against the administration of then-President Ferdinand Marcos through theater and film
Notable work Sakada (1976 film)

Benjamin Roberto “Behn” H. Cervantes (August 25, 1938 – August 13, 2013) was a Filipino artist and activist. He was highly regarded as a theater pioneer, teacher, and progressive thinker who was detained multiple times during martial law in the Philippines.[1]

He directed the film Sakada (1976), about the struggle of peasants at a sugarcane plantation. Copies of the film were seized by the military under the Marcos dictatorship.[2] Musical scorer Lugardo Labad described the film as "a major cinematic coup that unearthed the inhuman conditions of our people then."[3] In 1981, the film won a Dekada Award for Best Film of the Decade.[4]

He founded the theater group UP Repertory Company[5] in 1974 to "to combat the censorship that was in place during martial law."[4] He was also founding member of the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) and the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Filipino.[5]

Cervantes’ name is on the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Wall of Remembrance,[1] which recognizes heroes who fought against martial law in the Philippines under Ferdinand E. Marcos.[6]

Work on stage and in film

In theater

Among Cervantes’ work as stage director are Guys and Dolls, The Short, Short Life of Citizen Juan, and Iskolar ng Bayan.[7]

Cervantes appeared in many stage productions as actor, including The Mikado, Waiting for Godot, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Cabaret, and M. Butterfly.[8]

He also worked on activist plays, including Pagsambang Bayan and Estados Unidos versus Juan Matapang Cruz.[4]

In film

Cervantes directed Sakada in 1976 while the Philippines was under martial law.[2][4] The film about sugarcane plantation workers "was a thinly-veiled criticism of the country's feudal power structure."[4] It starred Rosa Rosal, Robert Arevalo, Hilda Koronel, Alicia Alonzo, Pancho Magalona, Bembol Roco, Gloria Romero,[4] and Tony Santos.[9] After three weeks in theaters, Marcos ordered the military to seize copies of the film.[4][2] The film led to Cervantes' arrest.[4] Sakada received its first screening on Philippine television in 2005.[2]

He also directed Bawal, Ito Kaya’y Pagkakasala, and Masikip, Masakit, Mahapdi.[10]

He appeared in the films Bomba Star, Aguila, When I Fall In Love, Memories of Old Manila, Waiting in the Wings, Alas-Dose, Ang Anak ni Brocka, and Barako.[10]

Awards

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "CERVANTES, Benjamin Roberto "Behn" H. – Bantayog ng mga Bayani". Bantayog ng mga Bayani. 2016-11-29. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Pangilinan, Jen M. (June 24, 2005). "Sakada premieres on TV after 30 years". Philstar. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  3. ↑ Tariman, Pablo A. (August 17, 2013). "Behn Cervantes, 74–drama and defiance to the last". Inquirer. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Activist director Behn Cervantes, 74, dies". GMA News Online. August 15, 2013. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Behn Cervantes, 74". University of the Philippines Diliman.
  6. ↑ "Martyrs & Heroes – Bantayog ng mga Bayani". Bantayog ng mga Bayani. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  7. ↑ "Stage actor-director Behn Cervantes dies at 74". ABS-CBN News. August 19, 2013. Retrieved 2018-04-25.
  8. ↑ Torre, Nestor U. (April 30, 2016). "Behn Cervantes' seminal contributions to activist theater recalled–and affirmed". Inquirer. Retrieved 2018-04-25.
  9. ↑ Lo, Ricky (August 23, 2009). "Days of Blood & Rosa". Philstar. Retrieved 2018-04-25.
  10. 1 2 Mendoza, Ruel J. (August 15, 2013). "Filmmaker and activist Behn Cervantes passes away at 74". PEP. Retrieved 2018-04-25.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.