Orestes Matacena has worked as an actor with high profile directors on
films, television and commercials.
Orestes first ventured into films at the age of six when he worked as
an actor in "The Life of Billy the Kid," with a cast comprised only of
children. The movie was shot at the Mercedes Sugar Mill in Matanzas,
Cuba, where he lived with his parents.
As a film actor Orestes has played the antagonist in many Hollywood
Studio films such as Die Maske (1994)
starring Jim Carrey and
Ihr größter Coup (1992) with
James Woods and
Louis Gossett Jr. just to name a
couple.
In the advertising world, Orestes has worked in 37 commercials so far
(2007), nine of them directed by
Marcus Nispel. The New York Museum of
Modern Art has made Mr. Nispel's body of work part of its Permanent
Collection. Thanks to Mr. Nispel's artistic endeavor, Orestes is part
of that wonderful collection.
Orestes is well known for not taking "no" for an answer. He raised the
capital to produce and direct a feature movie from a screenplay he
wrote called Angst im Nacken (1987). However, he
decided that rather than consuming his time finding investors to
bankroll his movies he would finance them himself and use that time to
sharpen his creative vision.
Orestes is, as the French would say, a real film auteur. His body of
work to date (2007) as a filmmaker includes In Plain View (2008),
Sexgunsmoney@20 (2002),
Cuba Libre (1999),
Fatal Encounter (1981),
Angst im Nacken (1987), "James Gilbert Albright
and the Haunted Studio," "The Two Faces of Ruben Rabasa," "Aguabella"
and "Theater in the Parks." He has written, directed, produced and
edited almost all of his work.
In 1968, Orestes wrote his first play, "The Gym." Since then, he
expanded his versatility as a playwright and screenwriter with three
plays and more than twenty five screenplays and various television
concepts to his credit to date (2007). His writing encompasses a
variety of styles: thrillers, dramas, comedies, horror and
action-adventures.
Die letzten Tage von Kuba (1996), (Bitter
Sugar) a movie Orestes wrote for Hollywood director
Leon Ichaso about a young couple living
under the Cuban Communist Tyranny, opened to excellent reviews and was
shown to the Human Rights Commission in Geneva, Switzerland and to the
United States Congress. For Orestes this was a spiritual and rewarding
experience.
Orestes was born in Cuba to Italian immigrants and grew up on a sugar
mill plantation where the country and all kinds of animals, especially
horses, were a large part of his life. He describes himself as a "third
world country boy." But his business partner,
Orna Rachovitsky, says he is a
"hillbilly in an Armani suit."
As a teenager Orestes was part of the resistance fighting to overthrow
the Cuban tyrant and billionaire (according to Fortune Magazine, May 5,
2006) Fidel Castro and his despotic
Communist Regime, in order to establish freedom and a real Democracy on
the island.
Orestes escaped from Cuba on an airplane to Mexico before immigrating
legally to the United States and becoming an American Citizen.
After living in Mexico illegally for exactly ninety days, Orestes
arrived in the United States, October 30, 1964, literally without a
cent in his pocket and without speaking the English language. He
settled in Titusville, Florida and worked nine hours a day, six days a
week washing dishes at a restaurant called the "Ranch House" at a
weekly pay of thirty dollars.
Soon after, Orestes became a short order cook and worked on Cocoa Beach
before moving to Miami. In Miami he worked as a cook, a clothing
salesman and a car salesman. The first month as a car salesman he lived
sparsely, eating only one apple and half a slice of white toast every
three days until he finally sold his first car one month later. That
special day he had a feast.
A dreamer at heart with an entrepreneurial mindset, Orestes decided it
was time to start up a playhouse. His first theater was in the living
room of his Miami apartment that he shared with his girlfriend
Phyllis Redden, a North Carolina
bombshell. Then, he rented an office space and founded "Theater 66"
with Cuban actor/director, Miguel Ponce. They produced ten plays
together at that theater.
Two years later, 1968, Orestes moved to New York. With only a few
dollars in his pocket and knowing no one, he had no other choice but to
sleep at the Port Authority bus station for a few days. By the fourth
month of his arrival, he raised $25,000 and was producing and acting in
his first Off-Broadway play called "The Grab Bag."
In 1969, Orestes and Miguel founded "The New York Theater of the
Americas," where they produced more than thirty original plays. Orestes
acted in many of the productions, playing a variety of roles ranging
from a scruffy dog to an Italian Count, and directed his first play.
Miguel's role was primarily as a director.
Not only did Orestes work in his own playhouse, but he was hired as an
actor in many prestigious New York theater companies such as "Cafe La
Mamma," "Stage 73," "Dume," "The Henry Street Playhouse," "INTAR" and
"The Astor Place Theater."
Years later, in 1975, Orestes founded "The New York Cuban Cultural
Center" along with Ruben Rabasa,
Ivan Acosta and
Clara Hernandez, where they produced
twelve plays, recitals, poetry nights, art exhibitions and political
debates about the Cuban Communist tyrannical situation oppressing the
people living in that beautiful island. Thanks to Ivan, the Center is
still part of the New York scene.
