I only came across Bong Cabrera, a graduate of the University of the Philippines in Cebu City, in my Facebook landscape.
By the images and the texts that he posts on his social media spaces, one can say that he is from show business.
Indeed, Bong is a multimedia actor.
More than that, he is an award-award winning stage and movie actor. Bong won Best New Actor at the Accolade Global Film Competition and URDUJA Film Festival for “The Sun Behind You”; Best Supporting Actor at the Cine Filipino Festival for “The Guerilla is a Poet”; Best Actor at the Cinema One Originals Film Festival for “Sa Ilalim ng Tulay (Under the Bridge)” and Best Supporting Actor at Gawad Buhay (Philstage Awards) for the play “The Coup”.
Cabrera was part of Berlinale Talents for 2023. He is also an Asian Cultural Council Fellow in 2010 which brought him to New York to attend advanced acting classes and observe different theater companies like Suzuki and Viewpoints, Meisner Technique, Alexander and Voice Techniques, Contact Improv, Rehearsal Techniques and Ensemble Training.
Bong is indeed a Philippine pride especially when he appeared as one of the lead actors of the world-renowned Martika Ramirez Escobar’s film “Leonoe will Never Die” as Rudie.
The film won the Jury Prize for the world cinema competition of the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, the prestigious film event spearheaded by Robert Redford.
It was also screened at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival and other A-lister film events in the world.
As a theater artist, Bong has performed in Berlin, Tokyo, Shanghai, Nagoya, Singapore and New York.
Meanwhile, in between working and filming projects with Kolab Co., Bong teaches theater classes in De La Salle College of Saint Benilde and the Philippine High School for the Arts.
Recently, he’s been helping friends with casting actors in their projects, so when an international project asked him to become a casting director, he accepted the challenge and took this job as one of the jobs among other things he can do as a freelance artist. His latest job as a casting director is the Dutch film “The Garden of Earthly Delights” which starred Filipino actors.
Currently, Bong is an International Schools Theater Association (ISTA) artist and facilitator for drama workshops at ISTA theater festivals around the globe.
Another feather in Bong’s cap yet is his very significant participation in internationally acclaimed director Lav Diaz’s “Magellan” which was shown at the recently concluded Cannes Premiers of the 78th Cannes International Film Festival.
Cabrera acted side by side with Mexican and Hollywood actor Gael Garcia Bernal, Filipino stars Hazel Orencio, Amado Arjay Babon and Ronnie Lazaro with other famous European screen performers.
“What a magical experience it was to see my work as Raja Kulambo on the big screen of Salle Debussy. It was my first time working with Direk (Director) Lav Diaz and it premiered in Cannes too. Thank you, Hazel Orencio for making this possible. Walang humpay na pasasalamat din sa mga taong tumulong (Neverending gratitude to those people who supported me) for making this a reality. I will forever treasure this memory!...,” said Bong.
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