Bobby A. Suarez(1942-2010)

Roberto A. Suarez, commonly referred to as "Bobby", hailed from a poor descent necessitates his living in the temporary refuge known as the `Manila Boy's Town'. From being a nobody, he was able to get a Bachelor's degree in Commerce from Far Eastern University, while being employed as janitor-messenger for the Philippine Branch of Arthur Rank Film Distribution, Inc. He was able to prove dependability and resourcefulness, and through sheer labor and persistence, he was promoted to various capacities, until he was given the post of Asst. Sales manager for the company in 1963. In 1965, he became Sales and Marketing Director for Fortune Films, owned by one among the most respected movie industry in the Philippines then, Gen. Mariano Peralta, until he ventured on with other friends and colleagues in the business, to establish Intercontinental Film Distributors (HK) Ltd. of Hong Kong.

In Hong Kong, he showed his innovativeness and vision for the Asian Film industry and produced several Chinese version movies, dubbing them in English and marketed these movies all over the world. He also produced many movies in their original English version to be marketed all over the world.

He became very close to Sr. Don Antonio Isasi, then among the most renowned and respected Spanish movie producer-directors, whose movies were sold all over the world with no less than the American major movie companies acquiring the rights. During this time, Bobby took this opportunity to learn the rudiments of movie production from this man who industry players refer to then as a master.

He also developed close friendships and associations with Messrs. Digby Davidson, then Far-East Marketing Supervisor for Warner Brothers, Herb Fletcher, International Marketing Director of Avco-Embassy Pictures, and Bobby Meyers of Orion Pictures, Inc. From these motion picture marketing luminaries, he was able to hone and expert his marketing expertise.

In 1977, Bobby came back to the Philippines to establish Bobby A. Suarez Film (Basfilm) Production, Inc., and, armed with the valuable directorial knowledge passed on to him by film director Isasi, produced, directed more than two dozen movies and sold all the rights over the world, including the highly sophisticated and hardest to penetrate North American theatrical market.

He has also written the story and screenplay of more than a dozen of movies he produced and directed. His experience and mastery in the art and science of international movie production, direction, and marketing of commercial movies, is evidenced by his membership of Writers' Guild of the Philippines (WGP), Directors' Guild of the Philippines (DGP), Writers' Guild of America (West), Movie Producers Distributors Association of the Philippines (MPDAP) and Philippine Motion Picture Producers Association (PMPPA).

His consistent exposure and experience in the film industry has molded him into a versatile personality which gave rise to numerous professional accomplishments in the world of film production, distribution exhibition and international marketing.

In 1990, Bobby was given the prestigious award given by the European publishers as the Asian movie producer and director whose movies were shown in Europe, and are at par with European movie standard of quality. The visionary in him inspired once again, he established Basfilm Production, Inc. in the USA, to handle the world's sales and distribution and international market of the movies produced and acquired by Basfilm Production, Inc. in Manila, Philippines. He was also awarded the Gregorio Valdez Memorial Award by the FAMAS, the Philippines counterpart of the Oscars in the United States. This award was given Bobby for his contribution to the upliftment of the standard of Filipino-produced movies.

In further recognition of his dedication to the Philippine movie industry, he was bestowed with the Ciriaco Santiago Memorial Award for introducing Filipino-produced movies in the international market. In 1996, he ventured into the importation of movies, TV-movies and other TV-programs and established 21st Century Entertainment, Inc., which handled the television and video rights local distribution of Basfilm Productions' acquired programme.

A year later, he established yet another company, Platinum Multimedia Entertainment, Inc. to handle the theatrical distribution of the movies acquired by Basfilm Production, Inc. At present, he serves as President of Basfilm Production, Inc., in Manila and the U.S.A., 21st Century Entertainment, Inc., and Platinum Multimedia Entertainment, Inc.