Clemente de la Cerda
| Clemente de la Cerda | |
|---|---|
| Born |
13 October 1935 Chichiriviche, Venezuela |
| Died | 13 December 1984 (aged 49) Caracas, Venezuela |
| Occupation | Film director, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1964-1984 |
Clemente Felipe de La Cerda Martin (13 October 1935 – 13 December 1984) was a film director from Venezuela. He directed one of the highest grossing Venezuelan films, Soy un delincuente (I am a criminal), in 1976. His movies were notable for their depiction of social problems.
Clemente Felipe de La Cerda Martin was born in Chichiriviche, Falcón State, in 1935. Although he had no formal education, he studied at the School of Fine Arts in Caracas. Between 1962 and 1963 he attended the Venezuelan Institute of Film Studies, then directed by the actor Luis Salazar. Later, he studied theater with Humberto Orsini in the Central University of Venezuela for eight months. At the same time he began work with Televisa (later Channel 4) as an assistant cameraman, worked his way up to directing music programs and soap operas. After VTR (Video Tape Recorder) technology appeared, he decided to leave TV movies, and started working in news and advertising, first as a cameraman and then as director.
He began his career as a film director with Isla de sal (Salt Island, 1964) and El rostro oculto (The Hidden Face, 1965). After these first efforts, he went to filming the self-made, self-financed and actually lost feature Sin Fin (Endless, 1971) and, with Mauricio Odremán La Carga (The Cargo, 1972 - incompleted). He also made a documentary short film named Cahuramanacas, (title formed mixing the words "Caracas" y "Humana") in 1973, who earned him a local award and gave him ideas for his next feature film.
His Soy un delincuente (I'm a Delinquent) in 1976, earned more at the box office than Jaws by Steven Spielberg. This film challenged Venezuelan cinematic traditions by questioning the material conditions and psychological assumptions of society. It established him as a leading director.
With his next film "Reincidente" (Repeat Offender) in 1977, made by request of TV producers, he achieved what became in the first sequel in national cinema. His 1979 film El Crimen del Penalista (The Crime of the Lawyer), filmed in Dominican Republic, to avoid problems with national authorities, was based on the murder of the well known lawyer Ramón Carmona Vásquez at the hands of the special task group GATO led by former head of the PTJ, Manuel Molina Gasperi.
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