17 May

1975 - Future National Artist Gerardo de Leon receives his Filipino Academy of Movie, Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) Hall of Fame for winning the best director award seven times, including for "Bagong Umaga" (1952) and will, in his lifetime, win every possible major Filipino film industry award; de Leon is the only Filipino filmmaker cited in the Petit Larousse du Cinema Mondial  and will become the first filmmaker to be recognised as a Philippine National Artist shortly after his death in 1981;  de Leon has also won a Gawad Urian Lifetime Achievement Award (1978) and the 1952 Maria Clara Award for having been adjudged Best Director for the 1951 film "Sisa"; he would become the first National Artist in Cinema, winning the award in 1982 in recognition of his great contribution to Philippine movies; in May 2002, his films will be showcased during the Filipino film festival at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), a news article of which describes de Leon as "the master filmmaker of the 1950s and 1960s," who counts as among his best films: “Sisa,” 1951; “Ifugao,” 1954; “El Filibusterismo” (Subversion), 1962 and “Ang Daigdig Mga Api” (The World of the Oppressed), 1965"; the movie legend will be able to work on just about every available genre of film during his lifetime, with many of his projects being re-released and imported to the United States and the United Kingdom, including the Day of the Trumpet, Terror is a Man, “'Intramuros,”' “'Ibulong Mo sa Hangin,'” Women in Cages, and even a vampire film,“'Kulay Dugo ang Gabi';” he will direct around 67 films, act in some 15 others, write for five (5), and produce two (2) movies.



Photo credit: http://fil.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Imahen:Gerry.jpg