TIFF 2014: "Where I Am King"

WHERE I AM KING (Hari ng Tondo)

"Where I am King" (Hari ng Tondo), the first film in more than a decade by acclaimed Filipino filmmaker Carlos Siguion-Reyna, made its international bow to a sold-out screening at the 39th Toronto International Film Festival today as reported by my tita Baby K. Jimenez.

The film premiered in late July at the Cinemalaya Film Festival in the Philippines where it won several awards. The audience at the 3PM screening held today at the Scotiabank Theater applauded the film.

"What an outstanding project of Direk Carlos Siguion-Reyna," exclaimed tita Baby in one of her Facebook posts today. "It was a mixed crowd of Pinoys and Canadians. Bravo to the entire team. Present were Robert Arevalo, Rafa Siguion Reyna, Cris Villonco and producer/writer Bibeth Orteza."

"Where I am King" tells the story of Ricardo (Robert Arevalo), an arrogant self-made tycoon who has forgotten his humble beginnings. But years of high living and a series of poor financial decisions have caused his fortune to dwindle to practically nothing. One of the few properties he still owns is a tenement in Tondo where he grew up in. So, with his two grandchildren in tow (over the objections of his greedy children), he moves back into the crumbling apartment block he left behind. Greeted with anger from the residents over his never-fulfilled promises to improve the building, Ricardo comes face to face with what decades of neglect have done to a once-proud neighbourhood. Even as the impoverished slumlord gradually comes to understand slum life from the other side, he is forced to combat the meddling of his children, who are bribing the corrupt building manager, Ricardo's lifelong friend Boyong (Rez Cortez), to make sure that Ricardo and his grandkids have an extremely difficult time adjusting to their new lives.

I can't wait for this movie to screen in Los Angeles soon...

Here are some pics from TIFF.

Rafa Siguion-Reyna, Bibeth Orteza (writer), Robert Arevalo
(Photo credit: Baby K. Jimenez)

Actor Epy Quizon (2nd from Right) and Baby K. Jimenez (Leftmost)
(Photo credit: Baby K. Jimenez)

Bibeth Orteza, Baby K. Jimenez, Rafa Siguion-Reyna, Carlos Siguion-Reyna
(Photo credit: Baby K. Jimenez)

Rafa Siguion-Reyna (Rightmost and Cris Villonco (Leftmost)
Photo credit: Baby K. Jimenez

XXX
Raymond Lo