Bobby A. Suarez

Roberto A. Suarez (November 27, 1942 – February 8, 2010), commonly referred to as "Bobby" or "BAS", was a Filipino film producer, director and screenwriter.

Mr. Bobby A. Suarez

Early life

Suarez had a very humble beginning. At an early age, he sold various things on the street to support a sick mother and 3 younger siblings. Since they were homeless, a Kalesa operator allowed them to stay beside a horse's stable for shelter. When his mother died, he and his other younger brother was brought to the Manila Boy's Town, a temporary refuge for abandoned and orphaned children. While inside the orphanage, he served as an altar boy and would be sent out on the streets to sell various things like newspapers, sampaguita flowers and shined shoes. Suarez showed exemplary intelligence while inside the orphanage. He was a consistent leader of his group and graduated valedictorian. When he reached puberty and it's time for him to leave the orphanage, he worked as an errand boy at the Manila City Hall in the Office of the City Mayor of then Mayor Arsenio Lacson.

Career

Early career and breakthrough

To help pay for his college education, Suarez worked as a janitor-messenger for the Philippine branch of international movie distributor, J. Arthur Rank Film Distributor. Through his dependability and resourcefulness, Suarez was soon promoted and eventually became the company's assistant sales manager in 1963.

Then in 1965, Bobby was appointed Sales and Marketing Manager for Fortune Films, owned by retired general Macario Peralta.

His film marketing expertise brought Bobby to Hong Kong where he established Intercontinental Film Distributors, in which he also served as managing director. He was the one who introduced dubbing Chinese films to English and selling it all over the world.

During that time, Bobby became close to legendary Spanish filmmaker, Sr. Don Antonio Isasi and was able to learn the rudiments of movie directing.

To help meet the growing demand for movies worldwide and armed with a knowledge of directing he learned from his 'master' director Isasi, Suarez then ventured into producing and directing movies, producing and directing many low-budget quality English movies featuring both Caucasian and Asian actors. His movies was marketed all over the world, including theatrical exhibition in the U.S.A. and Canada, considered to be the most sophisticated and hard to penetrate market. Some of these movies even landed in the Top 50 Grossing Films during its theatrical run in the said territory. His movies are considered cult classics. Some of his movies even became the gigantic inspiration of superstar Hollywood directors.

In the early 1980s, Suarez said he was working on a film meant to star Weng Weng and Marrie Lee that never materialized. In it Weng Weng would have played his own version of Superman.[1]

Later career

In 1990, Suarez was presented a special award by the European Publishers as the Asian movie producer and director whose movies are at par with European movies in terms of quality and standard.

He was awarded the Gregorio Valdez Memorial Award and the Ciriaco Santiago Memorial Award both by the Filipino Academy Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Ciriaco Santiago Memorial Award was given to honor performers and directors of productions who have gained international recognition for their cinematic excellence. In February 2006, The Singapore Straits Times gave Mr. Suarez a special award for his contribution in helping place Singapore in the Movie World Map. In December of that same year, he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Academy of Film and Television for helping put Philippines in the Movie World Map.

Mr. Suarez's experience and mastery in the art and science of international movie production, distribution and marketing of commercial movies is evidenced by his membership of prestigious organizations such as the Writer's Guild of the Philippines, the Director's Guild of the Philippines, the Writer's Guild of America-West, the Movie Producers Distributors Association of the Philippines, and the Philippine Motion Pictures Producers Association.

In 2013, Suarez appeared posthumously in the documentary film The Search for Weng Weng which started its film festival run.[2][3][4][5] In it Suarez was interviewed about the actor Weng Weng who was Philippines' first international star and a unique figure in cinema being a short person who performs death defying stunts.[1]

Death

He died on February 8, 2010 after a series of heart attacks and a kidney operation. He was survived by his wife, Gene, their children and grandchildren.[6]

Filmography

Producer

  • Prodigal Boxer (1972)
  • King Boxer (1972)
  • Scotch on the Rocks to Forget Black Coffee to Remember (1973)
  • Cosa Nostra Asia (1973)
  • Black Dragon (1974)
  • Master Samurai (1975)
  • They Call Him Chop Suey (1976)
  • Bionic Boy (1977)
  • They Call Her Cleopatra Wong (1978)
  • Dynamite Johnson/Bionic Boy Part 2 (1979)
  • Devils Angels/Devil's Three/Pay Or Die (1980)
  • The One-Armed Executioner (1983)
  • Warriors of the Apocalypse/ Searchers Of The Voodoo Mountain/ Time Raiders (1985)
  • American Commandos (1986)
  • Red Roses For A Call Girl/ Manila Tattoo/ The Last Deal (1989)
  • Obsessed (2003)
  • Crying Ladies (2004) Co-Executive Producer

Writer

  • Scotch on the Rocks to Forget Black Coffee to Remember (1973)
  • Black Dragon (1974)
  • Master Samurai (1975)
  • They Call Him Chop Suey (1976)
  • Bionic Boy (1977)
  • They Call Her Cleopatra Wong (1978)
  • Dynamite Johnson/Bionic Boy Part 2 (1979)
  • Devils Angels/Devil's Three/Pay Or Die (1980)
  • The One-Armed Executioner (1983)
  • Warriors of the Apocalypse/Searchers Of The Voodoo Mountain/Time Raiders (1985)
  • American Commandos (1986)
  • Red Roses For A Call Girl/Manila Tattoo/The Last Deal (1989)
  • Obsessed (2003)

Director

  • They Call Her Cleopatra Wong (credited as George Richardson) (1978)
  • Dynamite Johnson/Bionic Boy Part 2 (1979)
  • Devils Angels/Devil's Three/Pay Or Die (1980)
  • The One-Armed Executioner (1983)
  • Rhapsody in Wood(Documentary) (1984)
  • Warriors of the Apocalypse/Searchers Of The Voodoo Mountain/Time Raiders (1985)
  • American Commandos (1986)
  • Red Roses For A Call Girl/Manila Tattoo/The Last Deal (1989)
  • Obsessed (2003)

Interview

Special thanks

References
  1. Leavold, Andrew. The Search for Weng Weng (DVD). USA: Wild Eye Releasing. 760137943594.
  2. Harvey, Dennis (2015-02-26). "Film Review: 'The Search for Weng Weng'". Variety. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  3. Minutes, 2014 | 92. "Search For Weng Weng, The". Retrieved 2020-02-22.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. Team, Screen (2014-07-29). "Today at Fantasia". Cult MTL. Retrieved 2020-02-22.
  5. Wilson, Jake (2014-08-07). "In search of Weng Weng, the pint-sized James Bond of Filipino film". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
  6. Baumgaertel, Tilman. Bobby Suarez, 1942-2010, Southeast Asian Film Studies Institute, February 8, 2010, retrieved March 6, 2010.
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