Not only were they able to gauge perceptions and sentiments of a foreign audience, they also had encounters with some of the most popular Hollywood stars.
Coming in full force at the TIFF were director Carlos Siguion-Reyna, producer-writer Bibeth Orteza, lead stars Robert Arevalo, Cris Villonco, and Rafa Siguion-Reyna, as well as editor Manet Dayrit and assistant director John Paul Siu.
Cris finds the experience “surreal.” She recalls them being photographed by Getty Images and participating at a panel discussion attended by Hollywood actors like Connie Britton, Jason Bateman, Dax Shepard, Jane Fonda, and Tina Fey.
Rafa, meanwhile, recalls, “’Yung likod ng ulo ni Denzel Washington nakita ko tapos dun sa elevator kasama ko si Andrew Garfield, si Spider-Man.”
Reactions from a mixed audience were also priceless for the “Hari ng Tondo” team.
“‘Yung reaction ng foreign audience, ibang-iba. ‘Yung laughs nila iba sa atin,” Rafa points out. “’Yung foreigner baliktad sila eh, ‘pag na-enjoy nila, tahimik sila. Ang Pilipino pag na-enjoy nila, maingay sila, ‘Ay tingnan mo si Ciara Sotto o…’ Ganun sila.”
He adds, “What I was surprised about was ‘yung audiences sa Toronto matagal na pala nilang hinihintay bumalik ‘yung dad (Carlos) ko. Not only am I proud of the movie as an actor, I’m proud of my dad din, and my mom (Bibeth) din for producing kasi matagal na silang hindi nakagawa.”
For her part, Cris says Latin American audiences identified a lot with the movie.
“We noticed na malaki ‘yung appreciation ng Latin American contingent, sila ‘yung mga nagtatanong ‘pag Q&A,” the singer-actress relates. “I guess it’s because our values and cultural background are very similar. I guess nage-gets nila ‘yung mga sitwasyon sa movie. Bonus na rin nakapanood kami ng maraming-maraming films. There were over 300 films. Ako naka-12.”
“Hari ng Tondo” is the latest masterpiece from Carlos, who helmed “Ang Dalawang Lalaki sa Buhay ni Selya” and “Ligaya ang Itawag Mo sa Akin”.
It’s a story of an old businessman (Robert) whose bankruptcy forces him to return to his roots – Tondo, Manila – with his grandchildren (Cris and Rafa). There, they will learn how to “grow some balls” (figuratively) and learn who they really are.
The film won a Best Actor award for Robert and a Best Supporting Actress trophy for Cris, as well as a Special Jury Prize at Cinemalaya X.
“Hari ng Tondo” is produced by Reyna Films with Central Digital Lab and distributed by Star Cinema.
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