Lamberto V. Avellana (February 12, 1915)
Today, February 12, is the 108th birth anniversary of National Artist for Theater and Film Lamberto V. Avellana.
Lamberto V. Avellana, director for theater and film, had the distinction of being called “The Boy Wonder of Philippine Movies” as early as 1939. He was the first to use the motion picture camera to establish a point-of-view, a move that revolutionized the techniques of film narration. Avellana, who at 20 portrayed Joan of Arc in time for Ateneo’s diamond jubilee, initially set out to establish a Filipino theater.
Together with Daisy Hontiveros, star of many UP plays and his future wife, he formed the Barangay Theater Guild which had, among others, Leon Ma. Guerrero and Raul Manglapus as members. It was after seeing such plays that Carlos P. Romulo, then president of Philippine Films, encouraged him to try his hand at directing films. In his first film Sakay, Avellana demonstrated a kind of visual rhythm that established a new filmic language.
Read more: https://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/national-artists-of-the-philippines/lamberto-v-avellana/
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