*Photos are from the film's official Facebbok page
Jaypee (Ronwaldo Martin) a personification of the
Kapampangan youth who does not speak Kapampangan, is tasked to fetch 69-year
old Conrado Guinto, the reigning king of poets, for the recognition rites in
his quaint village. Guinto is the school’s outstanding alumnus. What waited for
the two ahead is a deep friendship and an understanding of each other’s
upbringing, bridged by the generation gap yet still tied by the Kapampangan
lineage.
The
film’s aspect ratio is not the usual, it is 4:3. The casting is also radical,
featuring Kapampangans who are mostly non-actors, like the actor who played
Guinto, the real-life poet Francisco Guinto. In fact, some of the incidents in
the film are based on Guinto’s experience. The tradition of electing the Ari ding Poetang Kapampangan (King of
Kapmpangan Poets) is very much alive. The Kapampangan language omits the letter
“h”, hence the title being ari
instead of hari.
“We want the world to see this little-known literary
tradition in Pampanga where poetry is a way of life and poets recite poems at
the drop of a hat,” screenwriter
Robby Tantingco said. He is also the Director of the Center for Kampampangan
Studies. This film, produced by Holy Angel University (HAU), is helmed by one
of its alumni active in the filmmaking scene, Carlo Enciso Catu.
HAU faculty members, employees, and students,
mostly comprise the cast and crew. Other Kapampangan poets Eufrocina Peña, Felix
Garcia, and Policarpio Batac play supporting roles as well as former HAU
faculty members Cecile Yumul, Jonalyn Ablong, and Chloe Carpio.
After winning the Best World Film Award from the Harlem International Film Festival
and the Best Debut Feature Film Award
from the All Lights India International Film Festival, the film is set to have
its official Philippine premiere as part of the 41st MMFF in the New
Wave Category. Last Dec. 2, there was a press preview held at the MMDA Theater
located inside the MMDA Conpound in Guadalupe, Makati City.
The festival runs from December 17 to 24 at the
Glorietta 4, SM Megamall, and Robinsons Manila Cinemas. For ticket inquires for
ARI: My Life with a King, you may
contact 09999590601.
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