Tribute to Manuel Conde
I don’t really know who Manuel Conde is, but I received this speech (via email) by Cesar Hernando, the Project Director of The Cinema of Manuel Conde . This speech was delivered on July 16, 2008 during the during the Cinemalaya’s “Tribute to Manuel Conde” and book launch. The speech piqued my curiosity and I’m sharing it here at Penstalker.
Good afternoon!
A book on Manuel Conde is very long overdue. This is only the second book in our country’s publishing history devoted to a great Filipino filmmaker and artist, whose significance, we believe, has been overlooked. The book shows why the late Manuel Conde is one of Philippine cinema’s great directors, popular both here and abroad. Most of his films were full of social insights and commentary that are still relevant today. Of course, it’s lamentable not to see his entire master works, as most of them are no longer available to be seen by a new generation. And we don’t even have a permanent national film archive. If a book had been written about him decades ago, Manuel Conde could easily have been our national artist for film.








