Rody Vera is on a roll

VERA. Perseverance and discipline.

Screenwriter Rody Vera started as a playwright at Peta in 1979. He scripted four of this month’s releases: “The Bride and the Lover,” “Juana C., The Movie,” the Cannes-bound “Death March,” and “Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan.” Indeed, Rody’s on a roll.

At age 52, Vera shares how he “suffered” for his art: “In the ’80s, sinabihan ako ni Lino Brocka that my play didn’t deserve to be staged. As for Mario O’Hara, tinapon n’ya sa akin ang script ko.

Admiration

“Si Mike de Leon, hindi n’ya ako hinarap. Ako naman, I didn’t have a typewriter then, kaya sinulat-kamay ko what I was supposed to do! He said, ‘Hindi ako nagbabasa ng kahig ng manok!’ Thereafter, I stopped writing for about four years—but, my admiration for them never waned.”

During his hiatus, he formed a protest singing group, Patatag, which produced three albums. He shares, “I became a singer, and the group’s musical director. It’s a good thing I could carry a tune. Honestly, I never identified myself as a writer, siguro dahil sa traumatic experiences ko—even before nangyari ‘yung kina Lino, Mario at Mike.”

“Niño,” Rody’s first solo credit as a screenwriter, won the top prize at the 2011 Busan International Film Festival and a Special Jury Prize at that year’s Cinemalaya.

What does he like about writing? He discloses, “Nag-e-enjoy ako kapag nagsasalpukan ang mga character. I would think ‘Niño’ was successful because, while the situation it tackled was serious, when viewers watched it, they found it funny!”

Rody is preparing for the second season of the acclaimed TV miniseries, “Bayan Ko.” His advice for aspiring writers: “They should have perseverance and discipline. Push yourself, kahit tinatamad ka. Write as often as you can!”