About Severo

SEVERO PEREZ, an award-winning filmmaker, playwright, and writer, grew up in working-class Westside San Antonio and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. For over forty-five years he produced programing for network and cable television, PBS and commercial clients. His feature film adaptation of Tomas Rivera’s novel . . . and the earth did not swallow him (1994) won eleven international awards, including five for Best Picture. His first novel, Willa Brown & the Challengers (2012), is historical fiction based on the real-life African American aviation pioneer Willa Beatrice Brown. Odd Birds , his second novel, was named by Kirkus Reviews as among the top 20 of Indie fiction for 2019. His latest book, Filmmaker’s Journey, chronicles his 45 year career as an independent artist working in Hollywood.

Severo has been featured in numerous publications and received many awards. Among them, in 2018 he was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters and the Wittliff Collections has acquired his film and literary archives.

For a more complete list and access to the full archives of Severo's work, please visit the Wittliff Collection.

Latest News

Celebrating a Chicano Classic: The 30th Anniversary of “…and the earth did not swallow him”

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Severo Perez’s adaptation of “Y no se lo tragó la tierra” (“…and the earth did not swallow him”), a landmark film in Chicano…
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Severo Pérez Featured on Book Public Podcast

Award-winning filmmaker, playwright, and novelist Severo Pérez was recently a guest on Texas Public Radio’s Book Public podcast to discuss his memoir, Filmmaker’s Journey. Hosted by Yvette Benavides, the episode…
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Severo Pérez Featured on Hispanic Genealogy Talk Podcast

Award-winning filmmaker, playwright, and writer Severo Pérez recently joined the Hispanic Genealogy Talk podcast for an engaging conversation about his acclaimed 1994 film, …and the Earth Did Not Swallow Him.…
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