17th New York Asian Film Festival

Jun 29 - Jul 15, 2018

FilmsGuestsTalks & EventsSchedule & Tickets

Photo: Courtesy of Arkeofilms

North American Premiere

Respeto

Set in the world of underground rap battles and starring the Philippines’ biggest hip hop stars, Respeto is a searing indictment of social injustice. Hendrix (Abra) is an aspiring hip hop artist trapped in a life of low-level crime by his family of drug addicts. A failed robbery brings him and his friends into a redemptive partnership with Doc, an elderly bookstore owner whose life as a poet ended under martial law. The stubborn old man becomes a mentor to Hendrix, encouraging him to find the art in his own wordplay. Until the personal becomes the dangerously political.

Director: Treb Monteras
Cast: Kate Alejandrino, Nor Domingo, Ybes Bagadiong, Chai Fonacier, Loonie, Dido De La Paz, Abra
Languages: Filipino with English subtitles
2017; 96 min.; DCP

SCHEDULE:

Saturday July 14, 7:30pm
SVA Theatre

Director Treb Monteras, actor Abra, and producer Monster Jimenez will be in attendance

Treb Monteras

Alberto "Treb" Monteras II has long-nurtured a passion for filmmaking; at the age of six, he was making stop-motion animations with coins and his father’s video camera. A graduate in advertising, he studied filmmaking at the Mowelfund Film Institute. He has directed TV shows, commercials, live concerts and over 300 music videos. His feature debut Respeto which draws parallels between a martial law poet and a teenager competing in underground rap battles, has dominated domestic film awards, winning Best Picture at the Cinemalaya Film Festival. He next directs big-budget superhero film Pedro Penduko based on the Filipino comic book character.

Abra

Abra is one of the Philippines' most successful rappers. Starting out as a member of LDP (Lyrically Deranged Poets) he then entered the Fliptop Battle League at its 2010 inception. He quickly proved his mettle by trouncing opponents with improvised insults in the African-American tradition of ‘the dozens.’ He rose to popularity through videos on YouTube, most notably his breakthrough Gayuma in which he is tricked into falling in love with a transgender woman via a love potion; it has been viewed 47 million times. His leading role in Respeto secured him Best Actor at the Philippines' Oscars in mid-June.