Mario O'Hara

Mario O’Hara was born on April 20, 1946. O'Hara had a big family and happy childhood. He lived in a neighborhood where in one side, there was a range of mansions and a slum on the other. At first, O'Hara planned to study chemical engineering in Adamson University, but the calling of the Arts was too strong for him. On his sophomore year, he auditioned for a part in a Proctor and Gamble radio show at the Manila Broadcasting Corporation; by third year college he dropped out because he couldn't handle the load of both studying and performing on radio.

It was by this time when he met Brocka. Unlike other filmmakers, O’Hara got in the film industry by starting as an actor. He became the collaborator of Lino Brocka and starred in his early films. He also became a writer, where producers kept firing him because of his opposing ideas, driving him more to become a producer himself. When he started directing films, he focused on tackling dark but realistic social themes that reflected the Philippine society then. His films always manage to win in almost every film festival, garnering a total of 14 wins. His most popular film, Babae sa breakwater (2003) won the best film of the decade in 2011, and was nominated in several international film festivals.

sources:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0641300/awards

https://news.abs-cbn.com/-depth/06/26/12/mario-ohara-silent-master-dies-68

https://criticafterdark.blogspot.com/2012/07/tribute-to-mario-ohara-1946-2012.html