Ishmael Bernal

In this Philippine name for natural children, there is no middle name nor paternal family name, but the surname or maternal family name is Bernal.

Ishmael Bernal (September 30, 1938 – June 2, 1996) was a Filipino filmmaker, stage and television director, actor and screenwriter. Noted for his melodramas, particularly with feminist and moral issues, he directed many landmark Filipino films such as Nunal sa Tubig (1976), City After Dark (1980), Relasyon (1982), Himala (1982), and Hinugot sa Langit (1985). He was declared a National Artist of the Philippines in 2001.

Ishmael Eugine Bernal
Ishmael Bernal from the Order of National Artists (NCCA)
Born	Ishmael Bernal (1938-09-30)September 30, 1938 Manila, Philippine Commonwealth
Died	June 2, 1996(1996-06-02) (aged 57) Quezon City, Philippines
Resting place	Libingan ng mga Bayani
Occupation	Film director
Awards	Order of National Artists of the Philippines

Biography

Born in Manila on September 30, 1938, Bernal was the son of Elena Bernal and Pacifico Ledesma. He studied at Burgos Elementary School, Victorino Mapa High School, and at the University of the Philippines where he finished his Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1959. After graduation he worked with Lamberto Avellana's documentary outfit before proceeding to France where he earned his Licentiate in French Literature and Philosophy at the University of Aix-en-Provence. He received his Diploma in Film Directing in 1970 at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune under the Colombo plan scholarship.

As an artist

Bernal participated in the U.P. Dramatic Club while finishing a college degree and was fan of classical music including opera. During the 1960s, Bernal put up the cafes When It's a Grey November in Your Soul in Malate and Kasalo in Quezon City three decades later, which became the hang-out of students, journalists, poets, bands, theater and film artists. An active participant in the struggle for artists' rights and welfare, Bernal was also a board member of the Concerned Artists of the Philippines and the Directors Guild of the Philippines, Inc. Until his demise, he remained part of DGPI. This organization studies the role of film as an instrument of entertainment, education, and development.

As a film director

Bernal directed and wrote his first film, Pagdating sa Dulo (At the Top), in 1971. In this film we catch a glimpse into what Ishmael Bernal's ouvre would prefigure for the industry: it is a scene showing an aspiring actress (played by Rita Gomez) pondering on dreams blooming in deserts of desolation and dying out in a mirage that painfully conjures images of squatter colonies and sordid lives. The bold star stares out into the landscape and scans it, with the camera acting as her surrogate, but finally framing her against the embarrassingly majestic Cultural Center of the Philippines. The scene captures it all: the decadence of the Martial Law regime, along with its perverse aspirations to art, has doomed the destinies of Filipinos. From that time on, Bernal was established as an innovative and intelligent filmmaker who would not be content with conventional formulas of local film making. Under his name is a broad range of film genres and themes: historical dramas like El Vibora (The Viper), and the "Bonifacio" episode in the unreleased Lahing Pilipino (The Filipino Race); sophisticated comedies like Tisoy (Mestizo), Pabling (Playboy), Working Girls I and Working Girls II; experimental films like Nunal sa Tubig (Speck in the Water) and Himala (Miracle); and contemporary dramas exploring human psyches and social relationships, such as Ligaw Na Bulaklak (Wildflower), Mister Mo, Lover Boy Ko (Your Husband, My Lover), Ikaw Ay Akin (You Are Mine), Relasyon (The Affair), Aliw (Pleasure) and the film classic Manila by Night (or City After Dark). His sturdy filmography is mainly clustered around the themes and problems that inevitably encrust the "social" as the core of personal malaise.

Bernal considered himself a feminist director and admitted that it was part of his interest to tackle issues affecting women. A significant part of his work is stories about and for women. For example, Relasyon, Hinugot sa Langit (1985), and Working Girls. Before Bernal died in Quezon City on June 2, 1996, he was scheduled to direct a film about the life story of Lola Rosa Henson, the comfort woman during the Japanese invasion of the Philippines.

In Philippine television

Aside from film, Bernal also directed television shows like the long-time drama series Ang Makulay Na Daigdig ni Nora (The Colorful World of Nora) for which he was named Outstanding Director in a Drama Series by the Patas Awards in 1979; Metro Magazine, Isip Pinoy, Dear Teacher and episodes for PETABISYON and Lorna. As an actor, he played lead roles in stage plays like Kamatayan sa Isang Anyo ng Rosas (Death in the Form of a Rose) in 1991 and Bacchae in 1992.

Activism

Bernal had been an activist since university, when he was a member of the Student Cultural Association of the University of the Philippines. After graduation, he became involved in Kabataang Makabayan. He protested film censorship and was part of the Free the Artist movement and the Concerned Artists of the Philippines.

His films, including those he directed during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, were also known for bearing feminist and social realist themes.

Achievements

He won the Urian for best director four times for Dalawang Pugad, Isang Ibon (Two Nests, One Bird), 1977; Broken Marriage, 1983; Hinugot sa Langit (Wrenched From Heaven), 1985; and Pahiram ng Isang Umaga (Lend Me One Morning), 1989; and the best screenplay for City After Dark, 1980. His film Pagdating sa Dulo, won for him the FAMAS for best screenplay award while Himala (Miracle), 1982, garnered nine major awards in the Metro Manila Film Festival. In that same year, Bernal was chosen by the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino as the Most Outstanding Filmmaker of the Decade 1971-1980. Among the 10 best films chosen by the critics, five were his. These include Pagdating sa Dulo, Nunal sa Tubig, Manila by Night, Himala and Hinugot sa Langit. He was also hailed as Director of the Decade by the Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA).

Bernal also won the CMMA Best Director Award (1983), the Bronze Hugo Award in the Chicago International Film Festival (1983) for the movie Himala. The Cultural Center of the Philippines presented him the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining for film in 1990. In 1993, he received the ASEAN Cultural Award in Communication Arts in Brunei Darrussalam.

His Nunal sa Tubig (A Speck in the Water), Aliw (Pleasure) and Relasyon (The Affair) was among the 25 Filipino films shown in New York from July 31 to August 1999, organized by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, in partnership with the Philippine Centennial Commission, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, IFFCOM, the Philippine Information Agency, the Consulate General of the Philippines in New York and the Philippine Centennial Coordinating Council - Northeast USA. This series of Filipino films were presented at the Walter Reade Theater of the Lincoln Center, in celebration of the 100th year of Philippine Independence.

Death

He died on June 2, 1996, in Quezon City, Philippines of a heart attack. He was buried at Himlayang Pilipino in Quezon City but was reinterred at the Libingan ng mga Bayani on September 14, 2024, after a state funeral.

Filmography

As director and writer

Year	English title	Original title	Director	Writer	Notes
1971		Ah, Ewan! Basta sa Maynila Pa Rin Ako!	No	Yes	Directed by Eddie Rodriguez
	Vibora	-	Yes	No	First film; rereleased in 1972 as El Vibora
	At the Top	Pagdating sa Dulo	Yes	Yes
		Daluyong!	Yes	No
1972	Inspiration	-	Yes	No
	Till Death Do Us Part	-	Yes	No
1973	Now and Forever	-	Yes	No
	Zoom, Zoom, Superman!	-	Yes	No	Superman parody anthology film with Elwood Perez and Joey Gosiengfiao
		Si Popeye, Atbp	Yes	No	Popeye parody anthology film with Elwood Perez and Joey Gosiengfiao; segment: "Popeye"
1974		Huwag Tularan: Pito ang Asawa Ko	Yes	Yes
1975		Mister Mo, Lover Boy Ko	Yes	No
	Sleeping Dragon	Xing long fu hu	Yes	No	Co-directed with Jimmy L. Pascual
		Lumapit, Lumayo ang Umaga	Yes	Yes
1976		Ligaw Na Bulaklak	Yes	No
	A Speck in the Water	Nunal sa Tubig	Yes	No
		Anna Karenina: Babaing Hiwalay sa Asawa	Yes	No
	Scotch on the Rocks to Remember, Black Coffee to Forget	-	Yes	No	Unreleased film
1977		Lahing Pilipino	Yes	No	Unreleased film Segment "Bonifacio"
		Tisoy!	Yes	No
		Dalawang Pugad... Isang Ibon	Yes	Yes
		Walang Katapusang Tag-araw	Yes	Yes
1978		Isang Gabi sa Iyo... Isang Gabi sa Akin	Yes	No
	You Are Mine	Ikaw Ay Akin	Yes	Yes
1979		Boy Kodyak	Yes	No
		Menor de Edad	Yes	No
		Bakit May Pag-ibig Pa?	Yes	No	Anthology film with Celso Ad. Castillo
		Salawahan	Yes	No
		Aliw	Yes	Yes
1980	Good Morning Sunshine	-	Yes	No
	Girlfriend	-	Yes	Yes
	Manila by Night	City After Dark	Yes	Yes
1981		Bihagin: Bilibid Boys	Yes	No
		Pabling	Yes	No
1982		Galawgaw	Yes	Yes
		Ito Ba ang Ating Mga Anak	Yes	Yes
		Relasyon	Yes	Yes
		Hindi Kita Malimot	Yes	No
	Miracle	Himala	Yes	No
1983	Broken Marriage		Yes	No
		Sugat sa Ugat	Yes	No
1984	Working Girls	-	Yes	No
	Shake, Rattle & Roll	-	Yes	No	Horror anthology film with Emmanuel H. Borlaza and Peque Gallaga; segment: "Pridyider" ("Fridge")
1985		Gamitin Mo Ako	Yes	No
		Hinugot sa Langit	Yes	No
1986	The Graduates	-	Yes	No
1987	Working Girls 2	-	Yes	No
		Pinulot Ka Lang sa Lupa	Yes	No	Remade in 2017 as a TV series by GMA Network
1988		Nagbabagang Luha	Yes	No	Remade in 2021 as a TV series by GMA Network
1989		Pahiram ng Isang Umaga	Yes	No
1992		Mahal Kita, Walang Iba	Yes	Yes
1994		Wating	Yes	No

Television

As director

Year	Title	Notes
1979	Ang Makulay Na Daigdig ni Nora
1987	Isip Pinoy	Episode: "Ang Maralitang Tagalunsod"

As actor

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1993	Noli Me Tangere	Kap. Valentin

Accolades

Year	Group	Category	Work	Result
1983	Berlin International Film Festival	Golden Bear	Himala	Nominated
1983	Chicago International Film Festival	Bronze Hugo	Himala	Won
1990	FAMAS Award	Best Director	Pahiram ng Isang Umaga	Nominated
1989	FAMAS Award	Best Director	Nagbabagang Luha	Nominated
1988	FAMAS Award	Best Director	Pinulot Ka Lang sa Lupa	Nominated
1985	FAMAS Award	Best Director	Working Girls	Nominated
1984	FAMAS Award	Best Director	Broken Marriage	Nominated
1983	FAMAS Award	Best Director	Himala	Nominated
1979	FAMAS Award	Best Director	Isang Gabi sa Iyo... Isang Gabi sa Akin	Nominated
1976	FAMAS Award	Best Director	Lumapit, Lumayo ang Umaga	Nominated
1972	FAMAS Award	Best Screenplay	Pagdating sa Dulo	Won
1972	FAMAS Award	Best Director	Pagdating sa Dulo	Nominated
1995	Gawad Urian Award	Best Direction (Pinakamahusay na Direksyon)	Wating	Nominated
1993	Gawad Urian Award	Best Direction (Pinakamahusay na Direksyon)	Mahal Kita Walang Iba	Nominated
1990	Gawad Urian Award	Best Direction (Pinakamahusay na Direksyon)	Pahiram ng Isang Umaga	Won
1986	Gawad Urian Award	Best Direction (Pinakamahusay na Direksyon)	Hinugot sa Langit	Won
1984	Gawad Urian Award	Best Direction (Pinakamahusay na Direksyon)	Broken Marriage	Won
1983	Gawad Urian Award	Best Direction (Pinakamahusay na Direksyon)	Himala	Nominated
		Best Direction (Pinakamahusay na Direksyon)	Relasyon	Nominated
		Best Screenplay (Pinakamahusay na Dulang Pampelikula)	Relasyon	Nominated
1982	Gawad Urian Award	Best Direction (Pinakamahusay na Direksyon)	Pabling	Nominated
1981	Gawad Urian Award	Best Screenplay (Pinakamahusay na Dulang Pampelikula)	City After Dark	Won
		Best Film of the Decade (Natatanging Pelikula ng Dekada)	Nunal sa Tubig 1970-1979	Won
		Best Film of the Decade (Natatanging Pelikula ng Dekada)	Pagdating sa Dulo 1970-1979	Won
		Best Direction (Pinakamahusay na Direksyon)	City After Dark	Nominated
1979	Gawad Urian Award	Best Direction (Pinakamahusay na Direksyon)	Aliw	Nominated
1978	Gawad Urian Award	Best Direction (Pinakamahusay na Direksyon)	Dalawang Pugad... Isang Ibon	Won
		Best Screenplay (Pinakamahusay na Dulang Pampelikula)	Dalawang Pugad... Isang Ibon	Nominated
1977	Gawad Urian Award	Best Direction (Pinakamahusay na Direksyon)	Nunal sa Tubig	Nominated
1982	Metro Manila Film Festival	Best Director	Himala	Won
1990	Star Awards for Movies	Movie Director of the Year	Pahiram ng Isang Umaga	Won
1995	Young Critics Circle, Philippines	Best Film	Wating	Won

See also

1. Brocka-Bernal: Alaala ng mga Artista ng Bayan, December 1996

External links

• Ishmael Bernal at IMDb