Cesar Montano (b. 1962, Manila) was born into a family of seven children and grew up in Santa Ana, the old quarter of Manila. His lawyer father wanted him to become an engineer and had difficulty adjusting to the idea that his son dreamed of becoming an actor. Montano, however, went his own way, and in 1983-89 began to appear in small film and television roles. He also tried theatre, painting, singing, and modelling. His breakthrough came in 1990 with Machete (dir. Mauro Gia Samonte); since then he has won several awards and acted in a number of films. His greatest success to date came with a role in Miramax's The Great Raid, which will be screened at the end of the year. Yet Montano wanted to fulfil his dream of becoming a writer-director, and so he made and starred in The Call of the River (Panaghoy sa suba).
MFF Karlovy Vary
