LVN Pictures, Inc. was a Filipino film studio that was considered one of the biggest in the history of Philippine cinema and its foremost establishment in motion picture post-production until 2005. In its heyday of motion picture production, LVN Pictures has been compared to that of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM) of Hollywood because it had, under contract, the biggest stars and film craftsmen of the period. Before its closure in 2005, LVN Pictures was known as one of the oldest living film studios in the country.
Clarita Villarba Rivera, better known by her screen name Mila del Sol, was a Filipina actress, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Born in Tondo, Manila, she gained fame in her very first lead role in the 1939 film Giliw Ko. She was discovered by LVN Pictures President Doña Sisang de Leon, who insisted in casting her over the objections of the film's director, who felt she was too young for the part. It was the film's director, Carlos Vander Tolosa, who gave her the screen name Mila del Sol for "causing the sun (sol) to appear as if by miracle (milagro) over his otherwise overcast set whenever she was called in to do her scenes."
Lamberto Vera Avellana February 12, 1915 – April 25, 1991) was a prominent Filipino film and stage director. Despite considerable budgetary limitations that hampered the post-war Filipino film industry, Avellana's films such as Anak Dalita and Badjao attained international acclaim. In 1976, Avellana was named by President Ferdinand Marcos as the first National Artist of the Philippines for Film. While Avellana remains an important figure in Filipino cinema, his reputation as a film director has since been eclipsed by the next wave of Filipino film directors who emerged in the 1970s, such as Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal.
Markova: Comfort Gay is a 2000 Filipino biographical coming-of-age drama film based loosely on the life of Walter Dempster Jr., the last surviving Filipino "comfort gay" from World War II. Written by Clodualdo Del Mundo Jr. and directed by Gil M. Portes, the film tells the story of his hardships during his childhood and his travail during the World War II Japanese occupation of the Philippines. The character was played by actor Dolphy, who played the adult Markova while two of his sons, Eric Quizon and Jeffrey Quizon, played the role of two younger Markovas in two more different phases of his life.
Rosario Violeta Solís Hernández, better known as Charito Solís, was a Filipino film actress.
Manila by Night is a 1980 Filipino drama film directed by Ishmael Bernal from a script by Bernal and Ricky Lee, and stars Gina Alajar and Charito Solis. Released at the height of the Marcos regime, the film uncovers the other face of Manila by depicting the ugly aspects of life in the city – unemployment, prostitution, drug addiction and lack of decent housing. Considered one of Bernal's masterpieces, it is an epic multi-narrative of people who have shady pasts and are trying to exist in an unforgiving world.
Narcisa Buencamino-De León was a Filipino film producer and businesswoman.
Anita Linda, was a Filipino actress whose career spanned nearly eight decades and had done close to 400 motion pictures. A romantic lead in her early years, she gained widespread acclaim for her portrayals of maternal, elderly roles depicting Filipino struggles and their lifestyle. Often described as the face of Philippine cinema, she was one of the top box-office draws for two decades and has received numerous accolades from international film festivals & domestic award-giving bodies.
Florence Danon-Gayda, better known as Rosa Rosal, is a FAMAS award-winning Filipina film actress dubbed as the "original femme fatale of Philippine cinema." She is also known for her work with the Philippine Red Cross. For her humanitarian activities, she received the 1999 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service, an award widely considered as Asia's Nobel Prize. She is the mother of TV host Toni Rose Gayda.
Blessings of the Land is a 1959 Filipino drama film directed by Manuel Silos. It was entered into the 10th Berlin International Film Festival. The film won Best Picture and Best Story from the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences. In 1960, it was shown at the Asian Film Festival held in Tokyo. The story was written by Celso Al. Carunungan, while the screenplay was written by Carunungan together with Pablo Naval. The movie was produced by LVN Pictures.
Marizel Sarangelo-Placido, known professionally as Tuesday Vargas, is a Filipino actress, singer, comedian and a resident judge of TV5's Talentadong Pinoy.
Giorgio Pietro Verano Alvarez, better known as Gio Alvarez, is a Filipino actor in movies and television shows. He was an original member of Ang TV, a youth-oriented variety show in the Philippines.
Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino, abbreviated as PPP, is a film festival held in the Philippines in celebration of the Buwan ng Wika. It is organized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines. Similar to the Metro Manila Film Festival, only shortlisted films will be shown in cinemas except in select 3D cinemas, VIP cinemas and IMAX theaters.
Dark Is the Night is a 2017 Filipino drama film edited, written, and directed by Adolfo Alix Jr. It stars Phillip Salvador, Gina Alajar, Bembol Roco, and Felix Roco. Set in Manila against the backdrop of President Rodrigo Duterte's drug war, the film tells the story of a middle-aged couple trying to leave behind their criminal past, only for their womanizing, marijuana-using son to go missing.
Malvarosa is a 1958 Filipino crime drama film directed by Dr. Gregorio Fernandez and written by Clodualdo del Mundo and Consuelo P. Osorio for LVN Pictures. It is based on a comics serial of the same name written by Clodualdo del Mundo in Espesyal Komiks and tells the story of a poverty-stricken nuclear family living in the nearby railroad tracks who carry their own burdens that needed to resolved.
Antonio P. Santos Sr., better known as Tony Santos Sr., was a Filipino film and television actor and director. He is known for his work as lead actor in Badjao and Anak Dalita, as well as for the roles he played in Sakada and Sister Stella L. He also appeared on the long-running TV series Flordeluna.
Badjao: The Sea Gypsies is a 1957 Philippine adventure drama film directed by National Artist Lamberto V. Avellana. The film was written by Rolf Bayer and stars Rosa Rosal, Tony Santos, Sr., Leroy Salvador, Vic Silayan, and Pedro Faustino. It tells a love story between Hassan, a Badjao man and Bala Amai, a Tausug woman whose differences were accepted by both sides but the Moro people attempted to destroy their lives.
