Birth Anniversary of National Artist Lino Brocka 2023: Date, History, Facts about Philippines

Catalino Ortiz Brocka, also known as Lino Brocka, was reared in Pilar, Sorsogon by a politically active father. Lino and his mother were compelled to work odd jobs to make ends meet after his father's murder.

The Philippines commemorate the birth anniversary of National Artist Lino Brocka on April 3 each year. Brocka, a radical filmmaker whose socially conscious films cast brilliant spotlights on the disadvantaged and neglected segments of Filipino society, has become a lens for the world to witness the Philippines’ rehabilitation and rediscovery. Brocka was a social activist until his passing; he won numerous awards and was even imprisoned for the uncut nature of his films. Today, on the anniversary of his birth, film enthusiasts and theatre professionals laud Brocka as one of the finest auteurs to emerge from Southeast Asia.

The background of Birth Anniversary of National Artist Lino Brocka

Brocka developed a passion for films, especially American films, as a child, and despite his impoverished upbringing, he was able to excel academically and earn a scholarship to the University of the Philippines. During his tenure at the university, he shifted his focus from law school to literature. In addition to joining the Drama Club, he was criticised for his accent and character.

He converted to Mormonism, travelled to the United States in pursuit of a better life, and returned to the Philippines with a renewed desire to create films.

After returning to the Philippines, his career flourished. He joined the Philippine Educational Theatre Association, where he encountered Cecille Guidote, the organisation’s founder. This resulted in the production of his first film, “Wanted: Perfect Mother,” a remake of “The Sound of Music” that was a box office success and the only film he ever produced that wasn’t about social injustice or drama.

In the 1970s, he began to explore new ground with films such as “Maynila sa Kuko ng Liwanang, Insiang,” “Jaguar,” and “Bon,” which earned him national and international recognition.

Brocka took a more activist stance in the 1980s. In 1983, he founded Concerned Artists of the Philippines as a protest against the Marcos dictatorship. For participating in a statewide jeepney transportation strike in 1985, he was sentenced to 16 days in prison.

In 1986, Marcos’ successor, Corazon Aquino, invited him to join the Coalition for the Restoration of Democracy (CORD) to help draught the Philippines’ constitution.

On May 21, 1991, Lino Brocka was killed in an automobile accident en route to Tandang Sora, Quezon City. He had 52 years of age.

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There are 5 interesting facts about the Philippines.

S.M. North Edsa, S.M. Megamall, and S.M. Mall of Asia are three of the ten largest shopping malls in the globe.

Despite its modest size (14 miles long by 8.5 miles wide), Camiguin is the only island on which there are more volcanoes than towns.

The Philippines’ professional basketball division, one of the oldest in the world and the first in Asia, is second only to the National Basketball Association.

Even though it does not consume monkeys, it is one of the world’s rarest and most powerful birds, and killing one carries a 12-year prison sentence.

Despite being the fifth largest English-speaking nation, the country is home to over 175 active languages.