A FORMER CEBU STUDENT WINS ACCLAIM
From the small campus stage of the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu, Bong Cabrera now treads the international stage as his new film Ang Araw sa Likod Mo is enjoying international acclaim.
The film, known internationally as The Sun
Behind You, has received six international awards so far. It was screened nationwide last week.
In the film, Cabrera takes on the role of Jamiluddin Kasaran, a member who plans to leave a radical Islam group. He turns government informant to a team of Scout Rangers led by Sgt. Benjamin Calayan, played by Ping Medina, only to find out that his brother Omar, played by Mike Liwag, is following in his footsteps.
“I haven't done a Muslim role in my theater and film career,” Cabrera said about the role. But it wasn't just the challenge of doing something he has not done before that drew him to the role. “This is an advocacy film and I really want to help.”
Major part of the proceeds from the film will be donated to the Help Educate and Rear Orphans (Hero) Foundation Inc., an organization aimed at uplifting the lives of members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines killed or incapacitated in the line of duty.
By doing the film, Cabrera not only helped Hero, he also reaped international recognition. He won Best Actor at the Accolade Global Film Competition in the US early this year.
He has come a long way from the probinsyano who had a hard time getting a project because he was discriminated for his Bisaya accent.
“But I wasn't discouraged. I used my being Bisaya by adding some flavor to my acting,” said Cabrera.
The actor grew up in Leyte. In the 1990s, he remembered reading a story about Lea Salonga winning a Tony for Miss Saigon.
“I didn't know what a Tony was. I hadn't heard about
Miss Saigon. But it piqued my curiosity and it started from there,” said Cabrera, who then decided he wanted to start
I used my being Bisaya by adding some flavor to my acting. BONG CABRERA Actor
acting in theater.
Cabrera honed his acting skills in Cebu when he took up Mass Communications at the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu. He was elected president of the UP Students’ Theater Arts Guild for Education (UPStage),
After graduating from college, Cabrera worked at an information and communications technology company. He remembered that he was earning enough to help out his parents.
In 2004, he moved to Manila to become a full-time actor. He became a member of Tanghalang Pilipino, the resident drama company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
As a member of the company, Cabrera earned an allowance of P50 a day, a far cry from his corporate job in Cebu.
“I chose this career not because I wanted to earn something but to practice my craft,” said Cabrera.
But to make matters worse, in only his first month in Manila, Cabrera fell victim to robbery.
“I was a starving artist and now I was back to zero,” he narrated. “I wanted to quit.”
But veteran actor Soliman Cruz told him: “Don’t quit. Pursue it!” And Cabrera did. He stayed with Tanghalang Pilipino until 2010 where he received holistic training in acting including voice lessons and script reading.
In 2010, the actor received a grant from the Asian Cultural Council, an American non-profit organization that promotes cultural exchange between the US and Asia. Cabrera was sent to Yale School of Drama to learn more about acting.
In 2011, Cabrera made his first film. He was cast in the lead role of Nono in the film Sa Ilalim ng Tulay, about a family of Aetas who was forced to leave the province following the Mt. Pinatubo explosion.
In his debut film, Cabrera won Best Actor in the 2011 Cinema One Originals Awards Night.
A year later, Cabrera starred in his second Cinema One film, Melodrama Negra. That same year, Cabrera found himself in a minor role in the film Amorosa, which had Angel Aquino in the lead role.
He also had a role in Kusina with Judy Ann Santos.
But while he has been filming movies left and right, Cabrera said he will always go back to theater.
“They (film and theater) are not different in terms of acting. But you have to look for ways to show your expression when you are in the theater,” said Cabrera explaining that unlike in movies, you don’t get a closeup for your facial expression in a theater play.
“In theater, every day is different. It’s very fulfilling. So I always go back.”
But how is his accent nowadays?
“I learned... Just like I learned to speak Muslim, Aeta and Ilocano,” he smiled.